Grace…the morning after

On the first Wednesday of November of this year, vast multitudes of people will awaken from a dream and wonder what is happening. Dreams don’t only play out in the darkness of our bedroom, but also in the darkness of our mind.

In the movie The Matrix, there is a character named Morpheus. In the Greco-Roman tradition this is the son of the god Hypno, the god of sleep. Morpheus’ task is placing humans into your dreams. On this day in November, after everyone has digested the blue or red narcotic of politics, Morpheus will supplant the desires of some and appoint the desires of others. No matter how you look at it, winning will not be the harmonious event the world is seeking.

Let’s be honest. You’re waiting in anticipation to rub the nose of your opponent in the disgrace of their loss come November. You’ve longed to be proven right about the claims you and the media have made. Superiority is refreshing in a time when everything has been against your perspective. The masses have spoken, and you are now vindicated.

While you gloat in the pride of your triumph, where is the harmony of humanity? How are you breaking the bounds of discord that has infected our community for these past four years?
Face it: you do not have the capability to navigate this tumultuous time of personal upheaval simply because you believe your perspective is correct above those around you and those you have determined to listen to. (And yes, that also includes me.)

Some might suggest that you need to treat the opposition as you might want to be treated in such a situation. I am not a fan of the Golden Rule. Simply put, it is an archaic rule which the opposition doesn’t give a damn about. If you’ve won, the last thing you feel like doing is coddling a loser. If you’ve lost, the last thing you feel like doing is being the doormat of a winner. There is a higher principle which we ignore every moment of everyday. It is a balm and a salve in these irritating times.

“…My grace is sufficient for you.”

Where is the harmony of humanity in the cycle of winning and losing? How does a society of such immense diversity achieve accord if the only metric of success is winning at all costs? If peace, harmony and reconciliation are to be achieved with this generation, what are we not only willing to forego, but challenged to pursue at all costs to violently grasp the trophy of such a grand accomplishment?

“…My grace is sufficient for you.”

Let’s say that your candidate prevailed. How will you respond to those around you who were not so successful? How will you, on the first Wednesday of November, and every day thereafter, interact with those who see you as the enemy, the cause of their failure?

“…My grace is sufficient for you.”

Let’s say that the entire country goes crazy with riots and armed rebellion. If sowing and reaping (or karma) has been taken off the table as a negotiation tactic, how are you going to be able to confront the swarm of protesters who believe the system has minimized, or even overlooked, their position?

“…My grace is sufficient for you.”

The hangover of the morning after will be tumultuous at best. And yet, grace…

We have no clue as to the power grace plays within the pantomime of our political discovery. There are those who profess to have the answers but their fish-like nature surfaces when tackled with the truth of how they can’t control the actions of everyone all the time. They seem to favor “catch and release” as a means to demonstrate their struggle for power as if this is how grace functions. It’s not so long as you feel insufficient in all areas of life.

There are those who profess how this is the most significant moment in the struggle of our nation’s existence. I’m not prone to such hyperbole simply because each moment is fraught with struggles we either embrace or cast aside. Despite what you may believe, there are a multitude of people in this nation who simply do not have a care about the goings on you presently find yourself enveloped in.

There are a fortunate few who have encountered grace and are sufficient, unshackled from the manufactured drama being projected around them. They are not careless or mindless. Living in grace has made them care-free and mind-full. This is not living “the dream,” this is reality, unfiltered and unadulterated. They woke up a long time ago and contemplatively watch the herd plod through the muck and mire of a well-trodden circle of duplicity about the promise of greener pastures.

So on the morn of first Wednesday of November, will you shake off the fog of a dream encapsulated in the red or blue pill, shake off the caked on muck of your vices and admit the truth of your sufficiency through grace, or will you take yet one more lap around the pasture of discontentment guided by the hand from another manifestation by Morpheus? The choice, as always, rests within you.