Centered Living in Turbulent Times

This morning I woke up thinking “If our president has emotional problems, what are we doing making fun of him?”  I’m a Special Education teacher.  I ALWAYS stick up for the person with a disability.  So what’s going on this time?  Why am I watching and laughing at the “schtick” that’s happening right now?
 
Part of my own answer is that parts of me feel angry and powerless.  It seems like this person has all the power, and he’s using it against others.  So while he may have problems, he’s also beating up on other people with problems- often even more severe ones than he has.  And I’m also always for the underdog, so if that battle happens, I’m for the “little guy”.
 
In Inner Family Systems work we learn that even though it might feel like parts of us are bad, if we look underneath we find out they are hurt child parts, trying to protect us from something in our past.  So I wonder- what have women in his life done to Mr. Trump to make him feel a need to attack them?  Did he experience love and connection with people even if he wasn’t “great and amazing”?  What happened to him that made  reality scary to face, so he needs to plaster over it with fake Time magazine covers? I realize this is vastly oversimplified, but if I want to cut his influence down to size I should also be generous in my willingness to try to understand.  
 
In IFS we also learn that we can’t allow those wounded parts of ourselves to take over or monopolize our energy or our time.  So while I can try to understand and soften my heart to Mr. Trump, I also need to take steps  take care of myself, others and the world.  For me this involves contemplation, writing and acting.  First I need to get in touch with the wisest, deepest parts of myself so I’m not spinning along with the news cycle.  I then write- the blog, facebook posts, maybe even a book- so I can share ideas with others and we can build things together.  And I need to take action in the world.   I regularly meet online with someone in Iran who needs some assistance in coping with her circumstances, as well as hosting a free online support group for people from around the US  trying to live lives that are Self-led.  Some newer things for me are  writing my congressperson as well as participating in groups like Transition Towns or Inner Family Systems trainings, where people are trying to help the world shift into a more positive, whole place.
 
The recent NRA ad sounded to me like a call for civil war.  This brought to my attention the immediacy of the need for alternatives- ones that aren’t based on the current red/blue, liberal/conservative system.  We are acting like little kids who have no understanding of empathy, or woundedness, or human needs of the “other side”.  I won’t contribute to that any more.  Everyone deserves to be considered and understood.
 
My intentions to assist in shifting my/our perceptions are:
-centering at least 1x per day, and including Mr. Trump in my daily sending of positive energy
-reducing my viewing of humorous stories at his expense
-making at least 1 action per week to contribute to the political system in a new, positive way
-making at least 1 action per week to learn about or participate in new ways of being such as Transition Towns
 
I want to know about you- what is helping you be more centered and take positive actions at this time?  What are differences or similarities with mine?   I’m anxious to learn how together we can take positive steps to help ourselves, each other, and the world.
 
Thanks!
Karen Locke