As Election Day approaches, I find myself reflecting on the unease that typically accompanies events that are largely beyond our control.
It’s hard to ignore the swirling emotions that are building the closer we get to November 5, as the anticipation of what the news cycle might bring can lead to a range of reactions ranging from excitement and hope to anxiety, worry, and fear.
Certainly, doing the work to imagine—and reimagine—the different ways our world and society might look on November 6 and beyond requires us to expend an inordinate amount of social, ethical, and emotional energy. It is, in a nutshell, exhausting.
I have been leaning into the lessons that Mónica Guzmán taught us in her book, I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.
Being able to see each other’s values goes a long way toward helping us make sense of each other. But even as I strive to stay open-hearted to those who prioritize values that contradict my own, I can feel my adrenal glands working overtime as I grapple with the lack of control over the events ahead.
When we exist in day-to-day “survival” mode, our brain reduces the world to a narrow tunnel that struggles to access abundance and wonder. In this state of mind, we find it difficult to engage with nuance and complexity, where beauty, reverence, and awe dwell. Instead of steeping ourselves in the fortifying knowledge that, as author Francis Weller states, “everything is bound together in a seamless web of life,” we remain tangled in a feedback loop of negativity that tends to permeate our view of everything in our path.
At heart, I believe everyone wants to feel alive, hopeful, and amazed rather than resigned, distracted, and powerless.
For so many of us, at the core of the hopes and dreams we have for our children is our desire for them to live an expansive, vital, open-hearted, and imaginative life, to grow into their mature selves able to invite a wide expanse of feelings and experiences that allow them to capably love their lives and our incredible world, rich with beauty and adventure.
In this time of uncertainty, I urge us to direct our finite energy toward developing what Pema Chödrön calls the “outrageous courage” of the “awakened” heart, the courage to deepen our wisdom and find ways to extend our generous hearts toward others.
At Turning Point, we also have the anchoring responsibility of our shared commitment to children. In the coming days, teachers and staff will continue to provide a non-anxious presence that encourages students to access curiosity and compassion when exploring their own questions and feelings around the election. This also affords us an excellent opportunity to teach about the democratic process in age-appropriate ways.
As Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently declared, the work of raising children is “essential not only for the health of children but also for the health of society.”
Certainly, it is one of the reasons I chose to be an educator. When I think of November 5 and feel uncertainty and creeping in, I recenter my thoughts around the opportunities it brings for us to encourage children to think critically about what it means to be part of a democratic society.
So, while misgiving will be present, we also have a precious opportunity to resist wariness and vigilance and instead to carry two truths simultaneously: that life is hard, and life is glorious. We owe it to our children to demonstrate the nuanced, formidable practice of staying open to the affirmation of life and to our interconnectedness with the world and with each other.
Warmly,
Laura
Dr. Laura Konigsberg
Head of School
lkonigsberg@turningpointschool.org
