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Wednesday, February 10, 2016Wednesday, February 10, 2016
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An Open Letter of Conscience and Choice by Robert
Rabbin, John Friend, Stephen Mitchell, Rabbi Michael
Lerner, Tom Hayden, et al.
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Spiritual leaders, yoga/meditation teachers, and progressive activists send letter of "conscience and
choice" to all spiritual, metaphysical, yoga and meditation communities, endorsing Kerry/Edwards and
urging voter registration and electoral participation.
(PRWEB) AUGUST 20, 2004
There are times in life when we must act. And when those moments come, we must act with our
truest heart, our clearest mind and our noblest intentions.
November 2nd is such a time. On that day, we will take in hand one of the tools for social
transformation. We will exercise our right to vote and our responsibility to voice our values and
conscience. We will choose a new president and vice president. We, the signers of this letter, after full
consideration, careful study and deep reEection, endorse and recommend John Kerry and John
Edwards for these ofIces. We urge all of you to vote for them. This is a matter of great importance and
urgency.
The Kerry/Edwards ticket is not perfect, and we have many serious disagreements with them,
especially in the areas of militarism and defense spending. But Howard Dean rightfully cautions us to
not let perfection become the enemy of the good. In this election, we have two clear choices. By any
standard or measure, policy, ideology, humanity, truthfulness, Kerry is better by far than George W.
Bush, and Edwards is better by far than Dick Cheney. We believe their cabinet selections and their
many other appointments, including to the Supreme Court, will be better by far than those of George
W. Bush. We urge you to register and vote for John Kerry and John Edwards.
There are many reasons to not vote: cynicism, apathy, distrust of candidates, or the conviction that
spirit transcends politics and we dare not risk our spiritual brightness by descending into the murky
depths of political darkness and intrigue. But these are not legitimate reasons. It is an inappropriate
spiritual response to our times to be socially aloof and politically uninvolved. The Dalai Lama
encourages us, "Sometimes we look down on politics, criticizing it as dirty. However, if you look at it
properly, politics in itself is not wrong. With good motivationÂ​sincerity and honestyÂ​politics becomes
an instrument in the service of society."
The self-evident fact of inter-dependence will not allow us to stand on the sidelines of life, to ignore
what is happening in our own backyards. We live in society, and society lives in us. This awareness
requires responsibility. This awareness requires participation. This awareness requires expression.
We all know from our studies, practice and experience that the inner and the outer are more than
mirror images of each other; they are each other. There is no separation, no difference, no distance
between them. This is why the philosopher J. Krishnamurti said, Â​The crisis is not out there in the
world; it is in our own consciousness.Â​ A Eower is not separate from its fragrance.
We have been reIning our inner consciousness. We have been purifying our inner consciousness. We
have been liberating our inner consciousness from the stranglehold of limiting and hurtful beliefs and
images and concepts. For years, we have taken this Â​heroÂ​s journeyÂ​ to inner truth, freedom, and
wisdom in order to become whole and free. But we have not taken this journey for ourselves alone; we
have also taken this journey for others and for our world.
It is not just for ourselves that we love wisdom and practice compassion, not just for ourselves that we
pursue truth instead of falsehood, not just for ourselves that we ask those fearsome questions that
lead to knowledge of the soul. No, it is not just for ourselves that we do this. We do it equally for
others. Our very quest for wholeness of being is at its core a service to others. The Kabbalah reminds
us, "First we receive the light, then we impart the light. Thus we repair the world." And now it is time to
begin healing this world, our world, in the same way we have sought to heal ourselves from the
diseases of hatred, violence and greed. In the same way, we have sought to heal our own hearts of
anger born of fear, and fear born of separation.
Voting for John Kerry and John Edwards is a positive step towards this social healing. To be sure, it is
just one step in a long journey, but one we should all take on November 2nd.
Signed (as private citizens, not as representatives of any organization):
Robert Rabbin, writer, speaker, creator of TruthForPresident.org
Stephen Mitchell, writer
Rabbi Michael Lerner, author, editor of Tikkun Magazin
John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga
Dan Millman, author, teacher
Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice & The Blade and The Power of Partnership
Tom Hayden, author, activist, former California legislator
Sharon Steffensen, yoga teacher, editor of YOGAChicago
Katchie Gaard, Anusara yoga teacher, dancer, and activist
Saniel Bonder, author, founder of Waking Down in Mutuality work
Judith Whitson, publisher, writer, lecturer, teacher
William W. Whitson, writer, speaker, retired Army ofIcer
Jonathan Granoff, Esq. (Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen), author, screenwriter, speaker, activist
Larry Robinson, Vice-mayor, Sebastopol, CA
Tami Coyne, author, spiritual teacher
Pamela Miles, founder of Institute for the Advancement of Complementary Therapies
Gilles Marin, author, founder of Chi Nei Tsang Institute
Raphael Cushnir, author, spiritual teacher
Stephen Dinan, author of Radical Spirit, progressive activist
Sandra Sedgbeer, publisher of PlanetLightworker & Children of the New Earth
Connie Shaw, publisher of Sentient Publications
Laurie Schryver, psychic, teacher, progressive activist
Robert Skutch, author
Lee Skutch, psychologist
Kanu Kogod, Ph.D, anthropologist, author, founder of Bridges in Organizations
David Lurey, yoga teacher
Debbie Milam, author, Reiki master, president of Unlimited Inspiration
Rev. Laura R. Davis, co-founder of Wisdom & Wellness Expo, Reiki master
Rev. C.J. Davis, spiritual teacher, Reiki master,
Elizabeth Ann Bloom, president of Here There & Beyond, Inc.
Mary Alice O'Connor, interfaith minister
Amy Kahn, yoga teacher
Gina Rabbin, psychic, life and business coach
Chetan Parkyn, author, spiritual teacher
Carolina Eastwood, author, spiritual counselor
Sister Mary Jude Jun, OSU is an Ursuline Sister
© 2004/Robert Rabbin/All rights reserved
Robert Rabbin, the creator of this "Letter," is a writer, speaker, and spiritual activist. He is the author of
numerous books and articles, and the creator of TruthForPresident.org, an online spiritual activism
resource. Visit: http://www.robrabbin.com.
Robert Rabbin
415.681.3757
[email protected]
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ROBERT RABBIN
TRUTHFORPRESIDENT
415.681.3757
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