Calm After The Storm

10: Chapter from the novel "In The Wake Of Chaos"

[This is Chapter 10 of my novel, “In The Wake Of Chaos.” I encourage you to go back and read the previous chapters already posted in order to get the full richness of this magical story.]

“after a sea of confusion and uncertainty...”

Fast-forward to the summer of 2020. If one thought 2016 was a political circus, well this year has proven to be a shit-show of gargantuan proportions. And yet, from my perspective, everything was hopeful and humming along with such a large variety of presidential nominees putting their hat in the ring over the past 12 months or so—and a variety of hats and all of them way better than the tired ol’ red MAGA hat guy.

One in particular, and such a breath of fresh air, was bestselling author, Marianne Williamson. She had recently released the book called, A Politics of Love, which I was enthralled with the depth of her knowledge about how American democracy actually works.

Here was another female candidate, and one I could completely stand behind. Whereas our current President Trump, running for re-election was all about creating hate and division, but she was all about bringing our nation back together through love and inclusiveness.

Unfortunately, the press, and the DNC for that matter, never gave her a real chance to get her message across. They instead painted her as a new-age, woo-woo kind of novelty poking fun at her whenever they said her name.

And yet, after meeting her during an interview for the Burlap Sack, I came away with a newfound respect and appreciation for her brilliance. In particular, I love her ideas on reparations for Blacks and Native Americans. Maybe she’s simply ahead of her time in terms of these sorts of ideas—and was unjustly denied the opportunity to earn a public acceptance on her own terms.

May I also add that, yes, the radio podcast has become a substantial hit. With Derrick’s inspired guidance, along with his team of online wizards, it gained traction right out of the gate and gratefully continues to grow in popularity.

It’s also given me the platform to talk about ideas that matter most. And much to my surprise, from time-to-time, I’ve even twisted Derrick’s arm to co-host the show with me. So far so good. It hasn’t hurt that we’ve been blessed to interview such interesting and entertaining people like democratic nominee, Andrew Yang.

Another fresh face within the political scene who burst out into the public eye during the first primary debate, and where pretty much the only words out of his mouth were, “I want to give every adult $1,000 per month.” Although who doesn’t like the sound of that, it was pretty funny to keep hearing him say this over and over again.

What an “out of the box” cool idea.

But remember, he is a numbers guy.

Andrew Yang lasted longer than Marianne did in the primaries, but eventually he too had to drop out—basically due to lack of funds. It’s always about the money.

Someday, we’ve got to get the money out of politics!

Citizens United?

Sadly, it’s more like citizens divided.

That is a key issue that needs reform—again, we need to address all the money that controls our political world. It has become a necessary evil, which ends up limiting our choices. I’d also like to see either no parties at all or a zillion, so there is no longer this “us against them” mentality. That way we can support a person, and not a party.

But the truth is…in the end it doesn’t really matter.

Truly.

What’s important to me is finding politicians who have strength of character, plus compassion, integrity, truth, and trust. And what is of greatest importance is, finding our inner connection to a wisdom beyond our own to access those same characteristics within ourselves.

In essence we are electing the future. It’s not about any one presidential candidate. It’s more about our democratic principles of equality and justice for all. It’s about choosing what we want for ourselves but also as a society.

In retrospect, I’ve learned so much these past several years, and I need to give credit when credit is due. But also recognize that a key essential journalistic trait is to keep an open mind. And that is what I aim to do.

Let’s play a bit with that concept now.

Yes, many people, but mainly those on the left, as well as independents, realize there is a madman at the helm of our country and that many of us are suffering from severe PTSD leading up to this next presidential election. Certain questions circle around our minds like vultures looking non-stop for their next meal, such as:

“Do we have to endure another four years of constant Twitter nonsense?” “Is he going to pull off another upset?” “Wasn’t he impeached for god’s sake—shouldn’t that count for something?”

Kind of makes you want to cringe.

Am I right?

At the same time, we might want to also see what an outstanding Academy Award performance he’s given us. Four years ago, he came in as the great anti-establishment disrupter and he’s done that with flying colors. During that time, our lives, for many of us, have gone sideways—and in some cases have been completely turned upside down. But is that so bad? Were the systems and structures we previously had in place so amazingly good?

No, not really.

However, I do wish he’d done a better job handling the Covid-19 pandemic. If nothing else, he could have set a better example for flattening the curve. He could have led with less back and forth confusion. He even had a brilliant chance to redeem himself once he caught the virus himself.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he held more big ego, large, crowed events.

If he’d really “learned so much” from that experience, as he vaguely implied, why then did he continue to encourage his followers to gather in large groups for these non-stop rallies? How many people did he needlessly risk exposure to this deadly virus?

Hello, this is a highly contagious thing.

We can do better.

I’m also not in favor of inciting violence—and there’s certainly been a lot of that these past several years. And yet, in all of this, we can learn more, such as seeing the deficiencies in our systems as well as the deeply rooted personal beliefs that are now being revealed. Everything wrong needing to be seen appears to be coming to the surface, so it’s no longer hidden.

And, for this I am grateful.

Why?

Because it’s now up to us individuals, as to what we do with this expanded knowledge and awareness. Psychologists suggest we pay better attention to our emotions in a non-judgmental way and ask questions such as:

“Do I enjoy this chaos?” “Do I enjoy outrage?” “Is this kind of fun and dramatic, in a sick sort of way?”

If so, we’re contributing to this sort of energy. I recall an interesting comment made during my interview with Tony Schwartz, who co-wrote the bestselling book Trump: The Art of the Deal back in the 80s. Tony said he had to go through his own personal reckoning realizing there’s a “Trump” in all of us. That worst parts of ourselves—and what we try to disown, avoid, and despise. Tony added,

“What I’ve found is the more I can own all of who I am, the good and the bad, the less I have to defend and the freer I become.”

This makes sense.

But also makes me wonder. Is this the reason why Trump was so unavoidable as a television star and now as a political character? But again, none of this matters. It’s all a game. A reality TV drama being played out on a national and worldwide stage.

Better for us to focus more on ourselves—and the greater possibilities we can achieve. It’s better to go within for answers. Even in the midst of chaos, I’m beginning to embody a deep knowing that we are safe and loved.

And yet, we are all being called upon to be leaders right now. In the absence of great leadership, we must look to ourselves to find the truth of how powerful we are. This reminds me of something Marianne Williamson wrote;

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us…as we let our own light shine, we give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence liberates others.”

It appears we have reached a point in our evolution, and as a species, where a new system must come in to replace the outdated, dysfunctional structures that no longer serve humanity as a whole. We need to repattern the primitive energies embedded within our hearts and within our DNA.

These destructive impulses are in the very fabric of our lands, societies, and within our planet as a whole. As such, our next evolution is critical to our survival.

I know this to be true in my heart.

Yes, there are plenty of rabbit holes of conspiracies that say the same. But we must call on higher angels to distill the truth of what is, and what is not true. We also need to restore human values of decency and compassion.

Amen to that.

Many online commentors say, “do the research” and if you do, the truth will come out. But what research are they referring to? The garbage that’s being recycled to nauseum around social media? Doing the research is what I do for a living, and let me tell you, those who are just now dipping their toes into the rampant conspiracy theories of late are being deceived.

No one is coming to save us.

Trump is not the Second Coming of Christ.

There’s no secret society controlling the world—at least not one that is human. The problem with these theories is each one has a thread of truth embedded within it. That’s what makes them somewhat believable. And yet, they can quickly take us into the realms of just plain nonsense.

Many times, I just want to shake some sense into these people. Are you serious? You actually believe the radical left, along with a bunch of high-profile movie stars, are all Satan-worshipping, child-sacrificing people who control the world markets? For the love of God, wake up and get a grip on your critical-thinking sanity.

Yes, societies are out of balance, and there will naturally be a course correction. But there wasn’t even a basement in the restaurant where Pizzagate followers claimed the Satanic rituals and pedophilia took place!!

Seriously?

Get a grip…

Even far-right conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, the radio host for Infowars, finally apologized and said the pizzeria wasn’t involved in human trafficking or child sex ring. I know we are all reaching for certainty and ready to grasp at something to make sense of it all, while the world around appears to be crashing in, but really? Let’s keep these fantasies where they belong, in our local movie theaters.

We can’t get lost in the rabbit holes.

Let’s use more common sense.

Let’s exercise more critical thinking.

Yes, there may be dark forces at play behind the scenes in some situations. But we’ll lose our way if we solely focus on one election or one leader. Besides, we don’t need enlightened leaders so much as we need to take personal responsibility ourselves. Even the purest leader can be corrupted. We must go within for the truth.

There is both light and dark in the world, but in what room does light not dispel the darkness once a light switch is turned on? We have more individual power than we think we do. We need simply to have faith and hope in our future, and the future is positive if we believe it to be.

Okay, maybe I should get off my soapbox now.

Seriously.

I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately, but I do feel change is happening. Let’s just make sure it’s constructive.

Drain the swamp?

Yes, that’s a good start, but the only thing that appears to be happening right now is it’s being filled up with a bunch of corrupt sewer rats. What’s needed is an overhaul.

Drain the swamp, let the rats that have risen to the surface recently swim away, then rebuild our society into something fresh, innovative, and self-sustaining.

There are answers to these problems.

We just need to allow the old ways to wash away. Let them swirl down the drain with all the other garbage that clearly does not work for all human beings. Plus, we surely need to be more loving with everyone we encounter.

That’s a start.

And, have more empathy and compassion.

Who wouldn’t want more of that?

This is the basis from which we rebuild this beautiful planet of ours into what it’ meant to be. Heaven on earth is possible—we just haven’t given it our best try yet. We’ve been too distracted with hate, fear, and a centuries-old attempt to dominate one another.

This has got to stop.

We should never condone violence or aggression to get our desired results. And under no circumstances should we embrace rioting and looting as a means to an end.

There is another way.

As Marianne says,

“The miracle happens when we’re willing to cut the cord from the limited and fear-based thoughts of the past and allow something new to be born. We have to let the old die before the new can be born. A plane can’t take off if it’s carrying too much baggage.

That’s why we need to get rid of the baggage from the past. We just need to get rid of the clutter. We need to declutter our minds and hearts to allow more space for something new to be born. And that is what’s necessary for something new to be born in our country.”

She may be my favorite quotable person right now.  Remind me why she didn’t do better in the primaries? Oh yeah, they called her the “woo-woo crystal lady.” The truly sad realization is we need more people to wake up before a person like her can actually be taken seriously.

And, sooner than later, I hope. We should seriously listen to the lyrics from the 60s song, a melody that so often is in my head when I take a shower,

“What the world needs now is love sweet love…”

An important message.

It was so heartwarming to recently watch students, of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, make a socially distanced video rendition, which went viral during the pandemic this past March.

I also recall seeing a commercial using a remake of that same song, but this time with Audrey Day back in early 2017, which also focused on bringing the world closer together. A timely message for sure, during those first few chaotic months in the aftermath of Trump’s inauguration.

What the world really needs now is more love.

It’s not woo-woo stuff—it’s just plain and simple common sense. We are either going to have to evolve into something better, or the human race will go extinct.

And yet, there’s still no need to worry.

We were born for these times.

It’s time to take a stand.

We are ready.

And just remember, it’s no accident you and I are living in this time. Believe it or not, we chose to be here for this evolutionary phase of planetary revolution. I’m thinking of adopting a new title for myself.

Sacred Activist.

This is really what I’m growing into.

One who takes the sacred knowledge and wisdom from centuries past and brings it to the forefront of humanity in modern times. Actually, I stole this term from Derrick. He’s becoming one of my greatest cheerleaders. Sorry Mom. It appears you’re being replaced. Well, don’t they say, “if the shoe fits…” Wink, wink!

And in this case, it’s a perfect Cinderella size.

Sacred activism.

The good, the bad, and the ugly have all helped to propel us to where we are presently. On the brink of complete transformation, or some say on the brink of extinction.

The choice is in our hands.

As individuals, each of us has the power. Once we take responsibility for this—where we’ve been and where we are going—as Barack Obama often likes to point out,

“We are the change we seek.”

I don’t know…

Call me a quick learner or something.

But I seriously don’t need another four more years of intense chaos to get this message through my thick skull. Besides, my nervous system needs a reset. We all can use a big dose of peace and calm right about now, correct?

Sacred activism.

I, for one, know that within each of us is the power to chart our own course and to do what’s right. Not just for ourselves, but all of us together as one.

No more us versus them.

I’m ready to let my voice be heard.

But more in line with how Gandhi did, with nonviolent passive resistance. His words, “Where there is love there is life,” echo in my mind in this moment.

Marianne says it’s a politics of love.

And so, here we are.

The 2020 presidential election is upon us.

Shortly, we will see how many others feel the same way as I do. But, no matter what happens, I know I won’t be curled up in a tiny ball crying and losing hope in humanity.

Not again! Never.

Yes, another pivotal point is before us.

After, four long years of learning and growing, I realize that humanity actually resides within me, and in each of us. I now know we can, and hopefully will, use this powerful force for the good of all humans.

And the entire planet.

If we choose wisely, love will prevail.

Why do I believe this to be true?

Maybe because of statements like this from Marianne, who is a lifelong student of A Course in Miracles, and teaches regularly its principles to others;

“Love not only makes a crisis endurable; it makes it transformable. For where there is love, miracles happen. Love changes people, and when people are changed, we change the world around us.”

Miracles do happen.

Love can prevail.

I have personally witnessed this in my life—and truly believe miracles are possible for all of us. We can be changed by love. It is the beginning and the end. In other words, love is all there is, and I suspect it’s all we really leave behind.

Wouldn’t that be lovely? To have only love left behind once we exit this life experience? And if so, why not live it more fully with a full heart now?

It’s simply a choice.

From now on, let’s create our actions out of love rather than from a place of fear or division. That’s my plan moving forward. I choose to love more. Meanwhile, my story here ends as it began. Almost.  

It’s Tuesday, November 3, 2020, during an incredibly unpredictable and chaotic year. I voted earlier in the day. Yes, I was one of the ones who waited for the actual day to vote instead of mailing it in—because I didn’t have a big warm and fuzzy feeling about the state of our US Postal Service being able to handle the massive overload this year.

In fact, Derrick and I voted together.

Since our now famous encounter, within that cavern in the South of France, we’ve allowed our relationship to grow into more. And it’s turning out to be a powerful union of two souls, much in the way I imagine Mary Magdalene was with Jesus—where two become one.

Spending most of this election day together, we even capped it off with a beautiful “tea for three” afternoon discussion with Clarissa. Yes, we expanded tis sacred time to include him now. After tea today, Derrick went back to the office to monitor the voting results as they came in.

I opted for a different approach.

After a light dinner in my cozy cottage near Walden Pond, I sat there glancing—and not staring as Y’shua had suggested—at the nonstop TV coverage. As usual, the news commentators were analyzing this or that and tried to predict the results of this historic election. A short time later, I turned off TV for the night. Why? Because I’m gonna take another shot at creating my own reality. It didn’t work so well in 2016, but I’m game to try again.

As they say…

Quitters never win.

Winners never quit.

And, I know now, it’s always up to me. No matter what reality I eventually slip into, I know destiny remains firmly within my hands. I choose my path and my vantage point perspective. I realize my personal viewpoint is everything.

Mine for this election, is that no matter what, it will all be okay. Once we take responsibility for our own lives, we can then see the beauty within this gift. As my heavenly mentor, Y’shua said, it is not about controlling others. It is for us to simply decide how we respond.

That in itself is empowering.

This election night, I choose to spend it differently.

No curling up in a ball of tears.

Better time spent reading a good book and then drifting off to sleep, knowing whatever happens it will all be good. I know deep within my heart that come what may, we are in the driver’s seat of our own lives, and nothing will change who I am, or how I feel about myself and the life I am in charge of creating. Again, no one is going to “save” us.

But rather, once we go inside ourselves to find the real source of our power, we find that the true awakening is actually when each and every one of us arrives at this same personal awareness. It’s when we become the change we wish to see in the world. We do this by being the spiritual force we are intended to be. Long story short, I acknowledge no one leader is coming to make things right—and realize that true power resides within each and every one of us.

As mentioned before and similar to what faith-based religions refer to as the Second Coming, I find that when each of us individually wakes up to the authentic divinity residing within and takes responsibility for our own destinies, we change the world from the inside out.

Change the world from the inside out!

In other words, what I’ve learned is each person has the power to make this a better place in which to live by first making a change from within.

You see, change really does begin within.

It’s an inside out kind of thing.

A domino effect.

Oh shit, speaking of domino effects I drifted off to sleep realizing I’d forgotten to return Lieutenant Lillian Grant’s call today. Nothing I can do about that now, despite the urgency I detected in her voicemail. Gotta make myself a reminder to call her back first thing in the morning.

And what an odd message it was. Something about needing to watch my back? I wonder what she meant by that.? Oh well, tomorrow’s another day. And one that’ll no doubt bring with it new discoveries and more things we can talk about. I am grateful for this.

Truly, I am.

Let me end with this…

A prayer for all of humanity:

“As we emerge from these chaotic times, may each of us find our true selves in the process and honor the part of us that is compassionate, caring, and full of love. May we surrender into this love and forgive all of that which is less than what we are truly designed to become. May we let go of the hate, division, anger, frustration, inequalities, and intolerance. May we embrace our true sovereignty and strengthen our own integrity as we navigate the challenges of a path forward, a path laced in unity and bound in a knowingness that we are all one; one people, one nation, one human race. For given the gift of this day, we are truly grateful and humbled by the awe of just how powerful we are when united in love.”

Until we meet again…

Many blessings to you and yours.

And remember this always, we are the leaders we seek. The task is to look within for the answers. There lies the true brilliance yet to be revealed.

Diamonds in the rough.

"the cockroaches are being driven out of the shadows and into the light of day...so trust in the knowledge that the world will be a better place to live in once the waters smooth out and settle down in the wake of chaos."

- Madison James

[Continue reading Maddie’s complete story “In The Wake Of Chaos” as each chapter is released…see the “Previous” & “Next” tabs right under the Like/Share bubbles below]