Coming to terms with fear, having the courage to experience the pain and power of it, and challenging it are at the heart of spiritual growth. Without the ability to recognize fear, it cannot be identified. Without the courage to experience it, fear cannot be challenged. Without a challenge, fear grows stronger and more thoughts, words, and deeds are shaped by it. Confronting fear and healing the sources of it is the epic journey that none can avoid, only delay at best. The consequences of fear are painful and the longer its healing is delayed, the more of them are created. The consequences of love are constructive and joyful and the sooner it is cultivated, the more of them are created. This is the spiritual journey in a paragraph. The Christ reduced it to three words two millennia ago – Love your neighbor – but few have been able to follow that guidance because few have the ability and courage to experience and challenge their fears.

Each presidential election in the United States provides more opportunities to look for fear at work and for love at work. The national, regional, and local organizations that form in support of candidates reflect both at different times, but the informing energy of each campaign determines the predominance of one or the other. That energy comes from the candidate. Those who resonate with it – love or fear – contribute more of it and vote in favor of it. Leadership, wise and effective policies, and loyalty to the Constitution are essential for a candidate. If any (or all) are missing, his (her) election will be damaging or catastrophic to the country. Even if all of these attributes are present, the absence of love will prevent every positive potential of the country from coming into being.

The politics of fear is as ugly as it is dangerous. We have crossed a threshold in human evolution. Henceforth, our evolution requires the choice of love instead of fear, harmony instead of discord, cooperation instead of competition, and reverence for Life instead of exploitation of life. The first great achievement of constitutional democracy was to harness conflicting pursuits of the ability to manipulate and control for the common good. The second great achievement of constitutional democracy was to transform physical mortal combat into bloodless contests. The losers live to fight again, to put another army (campaign), strategies, tactics, and weapons on the battlefield.

This great structure is straining under the burden of our new evolutionary requirements (harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for Life) and the next development in governance is not yet evident. In the meanwhile (now), it is for each of us to vote for the candidate that expresses more love in word, deed, action, and policy (and against the candidate that expresses more fear). Whether the structure is constitutional democracy or parliamentary democracy, the same consideration now overrides all others. This is the link between presidential elections and your spiritual growth. In order to recognize love and fear in others, you must first be able to recognize them in yourself. They are not always as evident as they seem. For example, caretaking (manipulating the gratitude of others in order to feel better about yourself) is often mistaken for love. It is fear.

If you think you detect fear in another (such as a candidate), see if you can identify the same fear in you. That is where you can challenge it. You cannot challenge the fear of another or cultivate another´s love but you can challenge your fear and cultivate your love. The new governance will reflect this reality in a fundamental way.

Love cares for others, fear cares for self. Love includes, fear excludes. Love nurtures, fear attacks.

Which candidate are you voting for, and why?