Speak Love to Power
I watched a school board meeting where the public was given time to speak on the woke curricula, and lack of transparency. One after another angry parent went to the podium and ranted. Many were right on, and I was yelling, “YESS!” after their testimony.
And then a soft-spoken, bespectacled woman went to the podium and respectfully addressed the board. I admit I sighed and didn’t think much would happen with her. But she had her facts prepared, argued logically, and asked honest questions without trying to embarrass or shame them…. The room was quiet. The board listened and focused far more intently. It was a ‘drop the mic’ moment.
So many of us are frustrated with our leaders--ranting that ‘We The People’ have lost the power that is rightly ours to impact our government and protect our freedoms, as was intended by our U.S. (and even Arizona) Constitution. We want to ‘Speak Truth to Power’!
Candidates’ legal teams work overtime, seeking every option. Citizens share their accounts of voter disenfranchisement. Grassroots groups, like Arizona Women of Action, EZAZ, Arizona Free Enterprise Club and others, respond to the questions that keep hitting our texts and emails: “What can we do?”, “How could this happen?”, “With such a botched election, why aren’t more people outraged and taking to the streets?”, “What does this all mean for the future of Arizona, Americanism and the Republican Party?”
These are important questions, and the coming months will be time for strategic thought, wisdom and action.
But right now, with Christmas ‘in the air’, there’s something even more powerful we regular citizens can do.
We can love.
We’ve heard the phrase “speak truth to power”. Truth IS powerful and necessary…. But Love—love is disarming. And Love is the only thing that will ultimately change the world… or even one human heart. (“They won’t care how much you know, unless they know how much you care.”)
What if we took a moment to check our heart before we write that email, text, Tweet or Instagram comment--and remember that another flawed human like you and me is on the other side of that message? And don’t we want them to receive our point with openness? I’m not saying we ignore corruption or power-grabbing. We work hard to expose and stop it--in the right way, and at the right time.
But we can speak Love—the WHY we fight for families, the poor, the outcast, the student, or small businessperson. Tell stories to those in power. Engage their compassion. Show them respect and humility, and they will listen.
Most of the time we’re not speaking to ‘power’ in front of a school board or county board of supervisors. But we have an audience all day long at home, or with friends or co-workers. We can love them with the truth, and with stories that explain WHY we fight for a safe and secure border, WHY we want fair elections so everyone is heard, WHY kids deserve protection from exploitation.
Connecting with truth and love to those in our circles will transform Arizona exponentially—and in more ways than politics! “What does this all mean for the future of Arizona, Americanism and the Republican Party?” I’m not sure, but I DO know: Love never fails.