This Little Ballot of Mine
By: Shannon Barbour
Nov. 8 is fast approaching and much of the nation has been wrestling with their ideas of what our country should be and do for them for nearly two years. Meanwhile a small group in Brooklyn is promoting the notion of selfless voting through meditation and mindfulness.
Voters came from as far north as Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, N.Y. and as far south as Miami, Fla. to meditate, sing and get educated about every candidate on their ballot, even their often forgotten local representatives.
The evening began with an intimate group of seven going round robin sharing our election woes. Talking about what the election has done to our relationships, community and how it has mentally and emotionally affected us. For some, the election has revealed what is most important to them, for others, they are just as confused as ever.
A far cry from the violence seen at many rallies and protests surrounding the candidates and cheers of Hillary Clinton for prison, these voters were ready to positively engage with their candidate choices and share some peaceful disagreements that would be welcome during a specific segment of the evening. Right now it’s mediation time.
Leo Bierman and Chelsea MacMillan decided to host this event at their home, also known as the Brooklyn Center for Sacred Activism. MacMillan wanted to host the circle because the message fits well with the values of their home and the center. “I really wanted community surrounding voting and election issues,” she said. “To get better informed is more fun with friends.” The evening wasn’t a random gathering though. It was one of the Vote Together Circles that CTZNWELL is encouraging individuals to host as part of their voteWell campaign.
“CTZNWELL is an organization that’s mobilizing practitioners of wellbeing to get more engaged in politics and social change,” said Kate Werning, organizing and field leader for CTZNWELL. “To take our sense of interdependence and our commitment to wellbeing to widen that scope from just looking at our own lives to look at how do we create the conditions of wellbeing for all people through systemic change.”
These were themes focused on during the Tonglin meditation, a meditation style that involves breathing in suffering or anything that troubles you and breathing out love, compassion, selflessness and peace. One man seemed skeptical of the practice, wondering why he should willingly breathe in suffering, but everyone participated for a few minutes before moving on to journaling.
Empty sheets of printer paper and an assortment of pens were passed around the cozy circle for the group to pour their thoughts and emotions about the election onto the page. With only three minutes dedicated to this segment, the circle scribbled furiously to transfer everything they were feeling onto the paper, at least they attempted to. The skeptical man, a musician hailing from San Francisco, jotted down some key ideas in the form of an outline.
After the circle received some election emotional healing, it was time to learn about the ballots. It quickly became clear that most knew very little about any other candidates besides the presidential ones, who everyone agreed were insufficient options. The circle, however, dove in and researched their local representatives, from the House of Representatives down to the judges. “The election is a week away and I’m not very educated,” said Angela Mulligan, a life coach. “It’s time to learn about how the world works and not be afraid.” Mulligan said she’d continue to do more research on her own so she can fill out her absentee ballot more thoughtfully.
The research quickly became overwhelming and the room began to fill up as new bodies were added to the circle. We were in for a surprise, but first, dinner. All 18 people filled any vessel they found suitable with curried lentil soup and vegan scalloped potatoes and indulged in the fare made by Mulligan and MacMillan. The newest additions to the group were a social justice choir, Harmonic Insurgence, and an environmentalist travelling band, the Dharma Bumz, who performed at Central Park earlier and earned six dollars. Dinner came with a show.
First up and missing a few members, but soldiering on, was Harmonic Insurgence. MacMillan was one of the five singers reprising old social justice songs to fit the current political climate. Hugh Masekela’s Nelson Mandela tribute “Bring Him Back Home” was modernized to advocate for Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, among others.
Last on the agenda for the night, the Dharma Bumz led a tambourine filled hour-long sing along with the help of their leader, Izzy and his stories that related many of the songs to politics. Izzy was an older, zippy man, donning a white Wisconsin hat, a blue T-shirt with the Dharma Bumz 10th annual tour logo and an acoustic guitar with a sticker of Pope John Paul II. The sing along spanned genres, from songs like “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Imagine” and sung most enthusiastically, “This Little Light of Mine.”
The evening was nothing short of entertaining, educational and the polar opposite of what has become the 2016 presidential election. Voters, singers and Bumz alike left the Brooklyn Center for Sacred Activism well fed, at peace, and more educated about their ballots.
