The Heart of the Debate

By Diana Butler Bass from The Cottage – Thanks to Pam P.

Tonight is debate night in America. This might be the only meeting between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris before our November elections.

I was dreading the Trump-Biden debate. And, I confess: I’m sort of dreading this one, too.

Mostly because I dread politics right now.

For me, that’s unusual. It hasn’t always been that way.

Since mid-June, I’ve stayed in a few places where there was little or no internet access. That means for more than two months, I’ve largely avoided social media and watched the news only in small doses. During my sabbatical time, I read books and poetry, wrote in my journal, walked, and spent time in meditation and prayer.

I didn’t ignore the world, but the pace in which I engaged it slowed, was more considered, and offered the opportunity for thought. The time was reflective, spiritual, and humane. I felt more connected to — and relaxed with — both nature and my neighbors.

As I’ve moved back toward a more regular schedule of work and speaking, I upped my news consumption to be better informed and to address important concerns facing Americans in this election season.

And, sadly, since doing so, I’ve felt stressed and off-balance — and caught my heart racing. I mentioned this to a friend. She suggested that I should stay away from politics.

Actually, a lot of people have been saying to stay away from politics including some readers here.

Instead of avoiding the subject, however, those feelings of dread drove me back to an older book that helped me when it was first written — Parker Palmer’s work on democracy and the heart.

The below quote caught my attention:

When all of our talk about politics is either technical or strategic, to say nothing of partisan and polarizing, we loosen or sever the human connections on which empathy, accountability, and democracy itself depend.

If we cannot talk about politics in the language of the heart — if we cannot be publicly heartbroken, for example, that the wealthiest nation on earth is unable to summon the political will to end childhood hunger at home — how can we create a politics worthy of the human spirit, one that has a chance to serve the common good?

― Parker J. Palmer, “Healing the Heart of Democracy” (continued)