I've been surprised over the past few days by how completely relaxed and peaceful I feel within, even amidst the seeming chaos, conflict, high emotions, frustration, and excitement swirling around the presidential election.
Usually, I’m quite attentive to elections and can even get obsessed if I get caught up in the drama—wondering who's in the wrong, what crazy thing someone said or did, and so on. In the past, it was easy for me to get pulled into that cycle, spending hours reading the latest news, checking the same story across different networks, and becoming emotional or anxious about possible futures I didn’t like.
When there's external drama in the world, it’s common for us to engage, internalize, and circulate that dramatic energy within. At the time, it can feel inspiring, motivating, or even enjoyable, though it’s also frustrating and can make us angry. There’s a lot of energy moving, and it’s easy to get addicted to. This has happened to me many times over the years, especially around politics—I’d get emotionally involved and feel internal drama over these external events.
This year, however, something completely different happened. Personally, I would have preferred a different result in the election. I was excited about the possibilities of having the first woman president and was leaning toward Kamala Harris. I voted accordingly. But this time, instead of feeling attached to the outcome or devastated if it didn’t go as I’d hoped, about two to three weeks before the election, I found a place of neutrality that I hadn’t experienced before when it comes to politics. I could see that, yes, there’s a lot of energy moving back and forth, with two quite different perspectives on the direction things should go. Half the population is excited about one option, the other half about the other, and both sides think they’re right.
This time, I was able to step back from the highly charged drama, thanks to retaking the Spirit Mind training. As we led the Japanese group, I was going through it in English myself, doing the exercises day by day, which brought me to a remarkable sense of peace within, even amidst the chaos outside. So, while I was aware of the external drama, I didn’t feel it inside.
Hisami drew a diagram that illustrated this well just a few days before the election. She wasn’t thinking about the election—she didn’t even know it was happening—but her drawing showed opposing energies, with anger and charged energy flying between two different positions. She described how, in such situations, people often feel they have to pick a side, joining one of these opposing circles. Instead, she suggested centering ourselves in our own space, observing all that’s going on without internalizing it.
In Spirit Mind training, we practice what we call the “breath of love,” circulating self-awareness, higher consciousness, and love within. You can try this now: as you breathe, imagine yourself in a centered space of love, however that works for you. From this space, observe the extremes—Group A and Group B. I may be more inclined toward one, but that doesn’t mean I need to dive into the energy and become part of the rally cry. I can just remain in my own center.
This approach has allowed me to experience a peacefulness I hadn’t felt in past elections. When the election results came in, I didn’t even feel an urge to check my phone. I felt calm and a deep sense of love for everyone. I wanted good things for all people, regardless of who they voted for or who they believed would bring the best future. I found myself happy, hoping for beautiful things for everyone, and I realized that, despite external drama, we can maintain inner peace.
This is especially important now because, beyond political moments in the U.S., we’re facing a much larger global drama. We’re entering a period of climate instability, and in my lifetime, this is unlikely to improve. Coming to terms with that and recognizing that things are going to get more challenging, I hope we can face these challenges in ways that are peaceful rather than devastating, though I know I can’t control this outcome.
What I *can* control is my own consciousness. I can focus on feeling peaceful within, accepting that external drama is out of my hands, and work on what’s within me. My hope is that by cultivating and circulating love internally, detaching from external dramas, and letting that love radiate outward to everyone (not just those who think like me), I might contribute to a more peaceful external world. This may or may not happen, but that’s my intention, and it certainly benefits me personally.
To anyone feeling tormented by external drama, whether an election or something else, remember that the drama is outside of you. While you may not be able to say it’s “okay,” you don’t have to internalize it or make it a source of internal conflict. This is the big shift we all have an opportunity to make as our planet goes through this time of dramatic change.
