Editor’s note: In our political landscape today, and in our nationwide discourse, many of us have lost our sense of humility. Perhaps some were never introduced to it in a world fraught with indulgence and gratification.
In this piece, Barbara shares what may be her most poignant words to date. The need for a leader who is truly humble- ‘right sized’ as some would say- is of paramount importance in today’s tribal and dangerous world. Humility is a most essential ingredient in healing the divide. – P.C. Bosco
Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
It will be no surprise that the spiritual principle of Step Seven is Humility. While Step Six looked at ways we could let go of character defects, this step offers a way to build a character asset.
Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian-American Hindu yogi, describes humility as “transcending the ego and freeing the soul to identify with God.“ 1
The glaring characteristics of pride and ego are not hard to detect in modern politics. Not only on an individual basis, but the pride and ego of the two-party system encourage mainstream media to present only two electoral choices: Democrat or Republican. It’s time Americans realize “the lie is dead; we do recover,” and we have another choice: a humble, independent candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Take the phrase, “That person is full of themselves.” It usually describes someone who is ego-centered and full of false pride. Consider the state of our current governmental system—is it egocentric? Yes! Is it full of false pride? Yes! Egoism runs through governmental veins and the Mainstream Media (MSM) projects Biden has the solution for the problems we face in America. Switch to Fox News and only the election of Donald Trump will save our country. Only two choices—Biden or Trump. Which ego do you prefer? More than half of our country says “Neither.” When I speak to people about the upcoming election, I hear statements like: “Guess I’ll vote for Biden; he’s better than Trump.” Or, “I don’t like either choice, but a third-party vote will get Trump elected, and I don’t want that.”
We the People are sitting on a powder keg and we aren’t even acknowledging it. We can blow this whole system up and start with fresh ideas. We the People have the power. We who are sick of this two-party strangulation can make the difference with our vote. I urge you to consider the spiritual principles of courage and willingness. Think of your children and grandchildren and the positive difference this election can make in their lives. I watch videos of RFK, Jr. and for the first time in a long time I have hope for their futures.
In 12-step programs, Step Six and Step Seven may seem very similar but there are distinct differences between character defects and shortcomings. For example, being prideful is a character defect. Pride can show up in a little white lie to help you save face. Pride doesn’t have to be loud. It can show up as silence because you don’t feel worthy to contribute to the conversation. The little white lie and the silence are the shortcomings of the prideful character defect.
I recently witnessed pride show up within the Kennedy grassroots movement. There was such a fervor about the announcement of Kennedy’s VP choice. The news media was ablaze with commentary on names that were under consideration, like Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura. It seemed many people in the movement had their opinions also. Statements like, “If he picks Aaron Rodgers, I’m out.” “He needs to pick Tulsi Gabbard.” When you think about it, these are prideful statements. How could any of us know the best pick for Vice President for RFK, Jr? Are we so arrogant to think that we know better than him? Then when it was revealed that Nichole Shanahan was his choice, even more criticism ensued. “She’s too young. She has no experience.” “He just chose her for the money.” Are we so arrogant to not even take some time to get to know her and what invaluable resources she brings to the table?
My dear Kennedy Campaign, we need to take a look at Step Seven, and humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings. We can take a dip back to Step Six and look at what character defect is causing this arrogance, but we need humility in this moment. Healing the divide is what we are all about. Look at the spiritual principles we have built on: honesty, hope, faith, courage, integrity, willingness. Self-centeredness, pride, ego – those are not what we are about. Nor is this what RFK, Jr. is about. He honestly looked for a Vice Presidential candidate to take this journey with him, to walk in hope and faith and courage and integrity, to willingly move this country forward with the humbleness of a servant.
I couldn’t ask for more in a presidential candidate or a VP candidate. I’m all in, and I hope you will join us on this road to the White House. We are about 200 days away from this momentous election. It’s time for all hands on deck. Give of resources as you can. Stay humble 😊.
1 The True Meaning of Being Humble – humblHuman
