Wednesday, September 17, 2008

September 17 - Arianna Huffington in Santa Fe & Choose To Unite at 16,000 YouTube Views

Thank God for these "events" that descend on our town to keep the inspiration and hope up when things in the world are spinning out of control.  I was fortunate to hear Arianna Huffington (of the Huffington Post and blogosphere) speak at two events – at the Santa Fe Community College, where Barack spoke at his rally in February, and at the Lensic Theater.  I laugh at myself to admit I have never heard Arianna – in reading her witty, magnificently articulated words, I never imagined she had an accent!  In person, I fell in love with her being and her accent immediately!  I'd love to share a summary of her message:

This election finds our country on the brink of two possibilities – progressing (moving forward) or regressing (going backwards).  The good news in the middle of all the bad news is that we have a great candidate in Obama who inspires and offers transformational leadership. For all of us who know who the right choice is, it is not enough just to know.  It is imperative that we each personally do everything we can to ensure that he gets elected.  (Precisely the reason I dedicated 5 months to making the Choose To Unite song and video!)  

Arianna felt our recruiting focus should be not on "Undecideds" ("if someone is undecided, they have not been paying any attention to what is going on") but on the "Unexpecteds."  84,000,000 (yes, 84 million) Americans who were registered and eligible to vote in the 2004 election did not.  "Even 10% of that contingent would change the dynamics of this election." This particular election – at this time – is not the right time to not vote or go with an independent party.  We cannot afford to take the risk that the election gets handed over to McCain.

Most importantly, she emphasized, we must not, cannot succumb to fear, which science has shown puts us in our reptilian brains (she was using the word "lizard brain" which had the audience laughing).  In fear, we lose the capacity to stay connected to our hearts and clear seeing/knowing of the truth, a capacity we all have and if we stay connected to that, choices are obvious. Fear makes us fall into the easiest, lowest common denominator, which is the low road.  The low road never gets us where we want to go; it is the higher, harder one, that can. Between now and the election, elevating fear is the strategy of those that would have this country regress, and we can be sure they will elevate it to the level that the number one focus goes on national security.  

Sharing the last words of Choose To Unite: As Eric George sings his final round of "Hey People of the USA," "Open the Door," and "Barack, Barack Obama," Madi Sato sings over the round "Diversity, Community, Unity, Love and Equality... We are the Change..."  

The whole point of the song's lyrics and rhythms is to bring positive, uplifting, inspiring energy into peoples' minds and hearts, at a cellular level... to fortify us to stay hopeful and focused on our vision.  Share it with everyone you know! (We now have direct links on the site and YouTube to get to the song in iTunes.)