Please Vote. And get others to vote.
Vote for the Planet, for the future therefore, and for the young and generations not yet born.
Vote for the animals and vote for the oceans and the finned ones who live therein.
Vote for the sky and the air and the waters and our Mother the Earth.
Vote that humans can mend our ways and re-connect to the beauty and harmony of nature and the sacredness of our existence, fragile that it is on this tiny planet so diverse, so beautiful, so special for our existence and that of the millions of species with whom we share it.
Vote for the poor and the forgotten and the victims of war and of hate. And for those who hate and feel distant from the original goodness of creation that can also to be found within them.
Vote for leaders that will lead by way of justice and compassion and not by way of power for power sake or worship gods of wall street and want to give still more tax breaks to the richest among us and the corporations among us that are, more than anyone except maybe Mr. Putin, responsible for inflation, having inflated their prices of gas and of food during Putin’s war and the pandemic and are making exorbitant profits that everyday Americans are paying for.
Vote as if democracy depended on it. Because it does.
Vote as if authoritarianism (also known as fascism or “institutional violence”) and the violence it brings with it is at our door to kill democracy. Because it is.
Vote as if authoritarianism and lies and fascism are in our living rooms via certain media and social media platforms. Because it is.
Vote as if the future of the planet and our children’s children and so much more depends on it. Because it does.
Vote as if voting matters. Because it does.
Vote as if there are forces and election deniers running for office who want to end the possibility that voting will ever matter again.
Vote as if justice and compassion matter. Because they do.
Vote as if our world is a 13.8 billion year-old Original Blessing and it has birthed us, original blessings also, whose purpose is to praise and bless creation and one another.
Vote as if our “existence is a miracle” (Rilke). Which it is.
Vote as if you are giving thanks for the miracle of existence and of all creation that brought us here and sustains us here.
See Matthew Fox, Original Blessing.
And Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: Contact information for the national Voter Protection Hotline. Photo by Donald Lee Pardue on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
What does voting in 2022 mean to you? With authoritarianism on the rise, are you concerned and acting to see that this is not our last democratic election?
Recommended Reading
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author, The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
“A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice.
10 thoughts on “On Voting”
Matthew, Today you begin our meditation with a beautiful and impassioned plea–you write: “Please Vote. And get others to vote. Vote for the Planet, for the future therefore, and for the young and generations not yet born. Vote for the sky and the air and the waters and our Mother the Earth.” But then you mention other reasons to vote such as: Vote that humans can mend our ways and re-connect to Mother Earth. Vote for the poor and forgotten and the victims of war and of hate. Vote for leaders who will lead by way of justice and compassion and not by way of power and money. Vote to defeat authoritarianism and/or fascism with its violence and lies through media propaganda. Vote knowing that there are forces and election deniers running for office, who want to end the possibility that voting will ever matter again. And finally you say: “Vote as if you are giving thanks for the miracle of existence and of all creation that brought us here and sustains us here.” As for your questions today–voting in this election (which I have already done) has been very important. And it is important, because I can see the rise of authoritarianism before my very eyes, and I DO NOT want this to be our our last democratic election !!!
Voting is a means of giving voice to what you value and stand for. The vote is one means in which ones voice can still be heard and counted among the many. It gives you the opportunity to join your voice with the voices of others, whom value, stand for, care for and our passionately concerned about similar issues effecting the common good of the whole. It is choosing to participate in a collective co-creative act, uniting intentions, in the hope of manesting the unfolding, evolving emergence of change and transformation that will positively nurture and support that which is needed for the greater good of the whole of humanity and the all and the everything of creation. It is a means of exercising the sacred power of one’s one free will to choose; with discernment, attentively listening and compassionately responding to the heart of what deeply matters and consciously standing up for that which is of true meaning, value and purpose, in support of that which gives life and the liberty of freedom to become and be a greater measure of who we truly are. It is a means for a people of many unique diversities to join together in union and communion, an opportunity for each one to colobratively contribute to a common shared vision of responsible leadership and accountable stewardship, for all that which gives life; and protecting and defending this for future generations. Vote as if your life and all life depends on you giving voice to this, because it does!
Please accept this invitation to share Mathew Fox’s ‘On Voting’ Meditation with as many people as you know and every community and organization you are connected with. Post it on all your media outlets.
Let’s each of us take up this ‘flame of freedom’ and spread it like wildfire!! Just Think of how many we might reach.
Prayers and more prayers for the Soul of Our Nation and deep gratitude to Matthew for your wisdom and guidance as we approach Election Day 2022.
Ellen Kennedy DM Team Member
Thank you Ellen, will do !!!
May God’s Spirit of
DIVINE LOVE~WISDOM~TRUTH~PEACE~JUSTICE~SORROW~MERCY~COMPASSION~HEALING~
TRANSFORMATION~FREEDOM~CREATIVITY~BEAUTY~JOY~ONENESS…
Being within us grow in awareness and action in the hearts, minds, spirits of All our sisters and brothers around the world, especially among US voters on Nov.8….
🔥💜🌎🙏
Use our creating spirit and imaginations to envision new possibilities of how Wisdom-Sophia-Spirit is luring humanity to new horizons, becoming more whole, as the Divine anticipates for each life species that inhabit this universe, not just our home planet Earth. Then, writing humankinds New Sacred Scripture for future generation’s historical guidance, that takes the best moments of humankind getting it right at various times over ten millennia, and celebrating as cosmic citizens, every race and tribe we are part of as responsible stewards of creation.
Thank you for your beautiful and impassioned litany on voting. I have done everything in my small power to encourage others to vote with letters, postcards, and phone calls, and I am depleted. My vote went in a few weeks ago and was counted. It seems to be that you have identified one of the factors leading to the probable death of democracy, i.e., taking it for granted;. missing or willfully ignoring the signs for the past few decades, even though you and others have sounded warning;. just not caring enough about others.
Here in Florida, on the off chance that a candidate who represents true values is elected, the governor’s election police will undoubtedly step in and “fix” things, along with an attorney general who some years ago gave the notorious sex trafficker Jeff Epstein a mere slap on the wrist. The corruption is so thick that one can almost taste it. I recently told a friend that I much preferred the criminals in Massachusetts, where I am from, because the Mafia never used to make any bones about their corruption. They were criminals, and that was that.
I never imagined that my vote- and those of others- would be challenged or alleged to be fraudulent. I have always voted with the confidence that my vote would count, whether my preferences were in the majority or not. To think or feel otherwise would suggest that we are not living in a democracy. One now wonders: Are We? Will we be? What do we need to insure its (democracy’s) continuance??
I have voted with the common good in mind. I have also contributed to several political campaigns. In addition, I suggest we all pray for humane results, pray that God gives voters the grace to vote wisely, prudently and hopefully. The Franciscan Action Network hold a group prayer via Zoom next Monday at 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
Thank you for this beautiful meditation on voting!!! I have voted, shared your meditation on voting and engaged in other activity to encourage others to vote for Democracy. This challenge will not end with this election so we should prepare for a long resistance to Authoritarian control.