On the eve of election day, I was thinking that it’d be pretty difficult to comment on the political system, and still somewhow integrate a feeling of inspiration.
I drew a blank.
I thought about doing a piece to try and revive the soaring optimism from this time of year 2 years ago, but that felt too escapist, and while the election night 2 years ago was absolutely inspiring, in many ways the promise of that campaign is still yet to be fulfilled, and none of the campaigns being waged these midterms are remotely inspirational.
During the regular meditation I do while trying to put a voice to the topic about which I want to write, I couldn’t help but feel as though there was this mental itch I couldn’t quite scratch – a feeling that there was something I wanted to be thinking but couldn’t put my finger on. It started to drive me just a little bit crazy, and the harder I tried to put it out of my mind, the more I thought about it and the more frustrated I was getting. It was like that feeling you might experience when you can’t remember the name or lyrics or singer of that song you have in your head, and it starts eating away at your brain.
Well, enough was enough, and during a mid-afternoon break, I found a quiet place, and searched: back through my memory, back through my thoughts on the body politic, through my mental rolodex of people and perspectives advocating for the victories of our better angels over our darker demons in the great undertakings of electing officials, promoting policies, and better understanding the notions of freedom and responsibility to ourselves, and to those most in need.
I searched and searched.
And then I found what I was looking for. I remembered the words I have turned to on days like election or inauguration day. Call it a poem, call it a prayer, but I hope you read it and read it often. Whether you’ve read this before or not, I’d love to hear your thoughts on its message, and its staggeringly beautiful sentiments. It may be hard to find inspiration in the voting booth, but at least I can take it in with me.
Let My Country Awake
by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
