Spiritual Leaders for Change

spiritualleadersforchange.org

Deepak Chopra

Jack Kornfield

Roshi Joan Halifax

Barbara Marx Hubbard

Rabbi Michael Lerner

Stephan Rechtschaffen

Sister Jenna

Lama Drolma Palden

Dean Ornish MD

Reggie Ray

Krishna Das

Sylvia Boorstein

Jean Houston

Pema Chödrön

Marianne Williamson

Barbara De Angelis

Alex & Allyson Grey

Ed & Deb Shapiro

Oscar & Cindy Miro-Quesada

Swami Beyondananda

Peter Fenner

Robert Thurman

Jai Uttal

H.H. Sai Maa Lakshmi Devi

Lama Surya Das

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Jack Canfield

Julia Butterfly Hill

Gay & Katie HendricksP

ir Elias Amidon

Richard Moss

Eli Jaxson-Bear

Corinne McLaughlin

Gordon Davidson

Reb Zalman Shachter-Shalomi

Sharon SalzbergGangaji

Joan Borysenko

Judith Ansara & Robert Gass

Christian de la Huerta

Rev. Dr. Susan Corso

*************************************************************************************
As spiritual leaders signing this letter we are stepping forward to say: “We can make a difference.” As our spiritual practice empties, opens and strengthens us, we are naturally moved to engage in the world with compassion, equanimity, and the dedication to live our values.
We know many of you are already both concerned and involved in this year’s Presidential election. Yet, in the past weeks, many of us have heard friends in the spiritual community expressing ambivalence about voting. When asked why they wouldn't vote we heard things like: “It doesn’t make any difference”; “I’m more interested in spiritual practice than politics”.
Humanity is at a crossroads. We can no-longer afford to sit on the sidelines. We are asking you to get engaged.



The 2000 presidential election was decided by just 500 votes and this November appears to be just as close. Every vote matters. Your vote and the votes in your community could make the difference.


Please make a heart-felt inquiry and look at the candidates. Ask yourself who best reflects the values you want to live by – those of spirituality in action.


Who do you believe will lead this country and the world in the direction you would like to see it move?


Which candidate will foster security through international cooperation rather than wars of aggression?


Which candidate will move policy most quickly toward a sustainable habitable planet for future generations?


Which candidate will most support our commitment to human rights and equal opportunity for all people?


...and then Vote. Let your voice be heard.


Together there is nothing we cannot do.


TAKE ACTION NOW
1. REGISTER TO VOTE & Detailed Voter Information

2. VOLUNTEERFind out how you can help!


3. FORWARD THIS MESSAGE


Visit our site for fliers, email resources (optimized for forwarding) and more information on how to get the message out.

Let’s bring the benefits of our practice into our lives. The world needs us.


Please help us Spread the Word.

Hilarious!

http://www.aarpvote08.com/?d=U3VzYW4gQ29yc28

I already have one vote!

Vote for, or Hush

I watched Bill Maher’s latest Real Time over the weekend and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) made a huge impression on me. He calls himself a Social Democrat. His words made a great deal of sense.

So I started thinking about my own voting record. It’s stellar, really, in that whenever I have a chance to vote, I do. I take it as a civic duty and a privilege. I have even voted when I don’t know the candidates; I vote the party line.

But this election has changed the vote for me because I’ve realized that in many presidential elections, since I was old enough to vote, I’ve voted against a candidate not for one. Because of my deep commitment to creating peace on this planet, I can’t vote against any more.

Later I was reading This Week in Peace History (which is much more about war than peace) and came across this quote from labor leader Eugene V. Debs (1865-1926), “I’d rather vote for something I want and not get it than vote for something I don’t want, and get it.”

So I took my usual trek to the OED and looked up the verb to vote. Words are amazing. Vote comes from Medieval Latin roots meaning to vow to devote. When we vote, we make a vow, a vow to devote ourselves to communicating with those we elect so that they can actually, truly represent us.

My friend Donna Henes posted a wonderful essay on her MySpace page today called, “Say Something.” In it, one sentence struck me right in the third eye, “Silence forgives violence.” Of course, I loved the rhyme, but more, I loved what it says about our electoral process. If we aren’t saying something to our elected representatives, how can we possibly expect them to represent us?

I’ve added my senators and my representative to my address book in my cellphone. I have their email addresses in my email address book now too. I even know their snail mail addresses if I need them. Do you know yours?

I don’t need to tell you that the presidential election is just around the corner, but I do need to remind you that a vote for what you want is a powerful message. Unless you’re voting for, hush—and let the rest of us get on with the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.