Spirit Matters: These times require extra spiritual care

It is an election year, and you know what that means.

We are submerged in a sea of soul-depleting negative energy.

There seems to be no escape from it.

I realized that this week when I noticed things awry in my own life: a general sense of unease and fragmentation; having a short fuse and carrying a heavier emotional load than usual.

I also sensed this short circuit in others when I was in public, noticing people in general complaining about insignificant things and acting entitled and combative with service personnel.

It seems our collectively amped-up emotions are having a ripple effect on one another and creating increased anxiety for many of us.

I take partial responsibility for contributing to the sense of unease I have been feeling.

With all the big changes in the last few weeks, I have spent more time than usual scrolling through social media and keeping updated with breaking news. And these media have been inundated with opinions from both sides. Unless you turn it off altogether, you cannot escape it, much less avoid being influenced by it.

For folks like me, who have nervous systems that deeply process all types of outside stimulation, including the negative emotions others are feeling and carrying around with them, all of this adds up to a perpetual state of mental and emotional exhaustion.

But even those who aren’t wired with sensory sensitivities can’t help but be affected by the ever-changing developments and political engagement with friends and associates. We are all walking around in some state of mental and/or emotional fog.

Let’s face it; this particular election is significant, and one in which most of us are emotionally invested, unlike most previous elections.

Whatever our own ideologies are, they have become amplified and we are convinced the other side is ignorant, misinformed and misguided. And the media tries to remind us of this every day.

Whether these assessments are right or wrong, one thing is true.

Our spiritual lives are suffering.

If you are reading this column, you are likely invested in some way in living your best life, regardless of your particular religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

Living our best lives means pursuing the highest virtues.

In Galatians 5:22-23, Saint Paul writes: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

There is no room in the life of someone who is trying to imitate Christ, or anyone trying to be a good human being for that matter, for the kind of petty insults, accusations and vitriolic diatribes we are seeing and hearing between family, friends, acquaintances and the general public.

If you call yourself a Christian, and you sincerely want to know and follow Jesus, and further his kingdom on Earth, there is no room for any violence of any kind, whether it be literal, ideological or rhetorical.

Read that again.

Despite some memes depicting otherwise, Jesus was not a gun-toting vigilante, and did not promote violence, at all.

If you need a Scriptural reference for this, here is Luke 22:49-51, when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane:

His disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked, “Lord, shall we strike with a sword?” And one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, “Stop, no more of this!” Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him.

In the face of violence and anger, even anger intended to “defend” Jesus, Jesus responded with gentleness. Not only was he not violent, but he healed those who were there to destroy him.

In fact, here is Jesus telling us what kind of character he, in fact, has in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

It would serve each of us well to remember this in our daily lives, and to allow these words of Jesus to inform our thoughts, beliefs, behaviors and ideologies. We can consider whether our ideologies reflect the gentle character Christ demonstrates, and adjust accordingly.

After all, our ultimate goal, if we call ourselves Christian, is to live in imitation of the one we claim to follow, and that includes furthering the common good.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com .