About Sadness Among the Young & Uplift Around Kamala Harris

In a Daily Meditation two days ago, I shared a new study that scientists called “shocking,” which tells the story of how young adults all over the world are in states of depression.  I promised to probe the question more deeply in subsequent DMs. 

I encourage all readers to go to the “Comments” section of that DM to see the wisdom in response to the questions raised.  All the ideas and stories told are worth meditating on. 

One lesson I learned from those responses is how interested people are–and caring and concerned–about the younger generation.  The energy and creativity stood out.  I found the thought and grace that flowed very encouraging.  

Today is less than 48 hours after President Biden withdrew from the presidential race, and encouraged Democrats to support vice president Kamala Harris for president.  The response has been immensely positive and uplifting.  

The political mood seems to have metamorphized from anxiety, fear, grief and anger, to joy and even “exuberance” as one pundit put it. 

A few facts tell a story: More than 28,000 people have signed up to work on the campaign—on Saturday, before Biden’s announcement, only 200 signed up to work on the campaign. 

Around $280 million in donations and pledges have come in, of which 888,000 were from small-dollar donors.  Beyoncé gave Harris permission to use her song “Freedom” as a campaign song. 

It feels well within possibility—given that hard work ensues—that the next president of the United States could be a woman, a woman of color, and a person who apprenticed with Joe Biden through some significant times.  

Above all, one feels a sense of uplift and spirit happening.

Many years ago, I was hanging out with a Dominican priest and mentor, Fr. Jerry O’Leary.  He had studied with Margaret Mead at Columbia University and later headed the very influential Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago, which burst at the seams in the summer with engaged priests, sisters and lay people following the Second Vatican Council.  

Before those heady days, when JFK was president, he said to me one day, “you know, I just feel better waking up every morning, getting out of bed, knowing JFK is president.”

Are we undergoing a moment like that?  Is some hope returning for our species, for the planet we love, and for our democracy that’s so in need of fixing?

See Matthew Fox, “Honoring the Child Within—Youth and the Cosmic Christ,” in Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance, pp. 180-198.

And Fox, “The experience of God must not be restricted to the few or to the old,” in Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times, pp. 1-8.

And Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest, pp. 103, 129.

Banner Image: Vice President Kamala Harris counts down for children to throw their paper planes during hands-on STEM activities by NASA and Disney Pixar at the Naval Observatory, June 17, 2022. NASA HQ PHOTO on Flickr.

Queries for Contemplation

Are you feeling an uplift—and recognizing it in others as well—since Kamala Harris is leading the Democratic Party?  How will you translate that into hope and action for our democracy in November?

Recommended Reading

The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance

In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe.
 “This book is a classic.” Thomas Berry, author of The Great Work and The Dream of the Earth.

The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times

A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas’ mystical/prophetic genius, offering a sublime roadmap for spirituality and action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
“What a wonderful book!  Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is a masterpiece.”
–Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit

Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)

Matthew Fox’s stirring autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity, and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self