On Wednesday. May 4th in Santa Barbara I officially entered the race for President of the United States of America running as an Independent. I am in the race to win, and my platform is unity and a revival of the spirit of free enterprise. Re-claiming the Heart of Our Humanity is the guiding principle of my candidacy and my Presidency.
Like you, I feel the uncertainty and the chaos of this Presidential election cycle. And like you, I have experienced deep within me. the turbulence resulting from the divisiveness and mean spiritedness. and I want you to know that where we are is a really good place. The disruption was necessary and had to happen because nothing changes until we disrupt what is the status quo.
We have an opportunity that is perhaps unprecedented in modern history to rise, lead. and offer clarity and a path forward based on inclusion and restoring civility to the political process.
The Face of America has changed and shall continue to change.
Change is inevitable. By 2050 White Americans will be in the minority. Therefore, the assumption that White Males are best prepared to lead must now be challenged. As well the assumption that women do not have the same ability, strength, knowledge or capacity to lead our nation must now be challenged and proven false.
The Next Leader of the United States of America MUST be a Woman. Leading through domination, aggression and control can no longer be tolerated. We the People must say NO. Men need women to lead. Up until now women who have risen to positions of leadership in business and in politics(and all sectors of society) have more or less had to conform to the values and principles of male-dominated leadership. We all have suffered from the suppression of the feminine voice, the wisdom of the Goddess and heart centered leadership resulting from women rising together.
America is still very much a segregated country. We live and work with people who look like us, think like us, believe like us, and vote like us. Our perspectives are rarely challenged and our assumptions become a pseudo reality insulating us from any possibility of cross fertilization that comes from moving out of our comfort zone and experiencing the other.
There is a Gold Mine in the hearts and minds of people who we have dismissed as having little or no value. In the inner cities and in rural areas there are millions of Americans who feel abandoned, who are marginalized,and they do not have the tools, the skills or the training to participate in the mainstream. We have to change this.
The suffering and loss experienced by the Middle Class since 2008 has never really been understood and acknowledged in ways that address the "core" systemic issues. The problem of the decline of the Middle class is complex and multifaceted. Giving and receiving are the same transaction. Whatever we desire for ourselves we must first give. Money is energy. The flow of energy cannot be restricted without a significantly diminishing the life force.
Everyone has something to give. This is the foundation of a new culture and a new American story, Issues of race and class can be resolved easily and effortlessly through a culture of giving. Learning to give from our heart, even out of our need requires courage and is an act of faith. In my own experience, anyone can expand their ability to attract resources and people who have a desire to support their work, through a habit of disciplined giving as part of a daily practice.
Learning to receive is as important as giving. When we fail to accep,t or are unable to receive, we stagnate the ebb and flow of the energy of the life force. Graciously receiving requires a profound humility and honors the spiritual law of reciprocity .A new culture of giving and receiving is needed now more than ever.
I have lived a life of entitlement and I have become increasingly aware of my advantages.
The courage to enter the race for President comes from this awareness of my privilege and my responsibility to leverage my privilege in service to humanity. Privilege, in my experience, has been less about the acquisition of material things and more about the Grace of God manifesting as opportunities to serve, to learn and to grow. Privilege is often invisible to the one who is privileged. A willingness to see and to know is required to become fully aware of the many ways in which we are indeed privileged.
In the inner cities, many people who consider themselves as victims. Those who do not have access to mainstream lack any real appreciation for the benefits they do have, which are not accessible to many people once considered middle class. This lack of awareness and full appreciation for the suffering of others is the cause of much of the divisiveness and mean spiritedness we are experiencing.
Consider how many Americans who live within ten miles of you have not had access to the opportunities that you have, and who desire a chance to realize their potential. AND consider how many people have worked all of their lives, who have followed the rules and even served their community, who now are faced with living the rest of their life with uncertainty or for some, certain poverty.
May we learn to listen deeply to one another, and may we learn to care deeply and may we find the courage to FEEL deeply our pain and our joy.
An inability to feel our own pain results in a lack of compassion for ourselves and others. Feelings that are trapped often result in dis-ease in our physical bodies and in society. Learning how to FEEL is necessary if we are to be able to dance in the wind and follow our bliss in pursuit of our most cherished dreams. A really good cry washes away residual toxic energies and the fresh winds of renewal allow us to breathe deeply, to smile and to think clearly from a new perspective.. Americans need a really good cry.
We are a nation of over 300 million people. Most of our citizens are left out of the political process because the conversation, the talking points, the issues being discussed do not address the concerns, worries, fears, needs and issues that millions of our citizens face in cities around this country. Our people are our greatest resource and our diversity is our strength.
Cities are the life force of our nation and neighborhoods are where we have the greatest chance to have a positive impact. Cities have been abandoned. The current political conversation has not been about the plight of cities or the value of cities to the national conversation. Pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into social programs has not worked! Doing the same thing over and over in the same way is insanity. Channeling billions of dollars into a Presidential race with no significant, tangible, and measurable outcome for the American people is obscene. Think about it. How will YOUR life be different the day after the election in November? In January, after the inauguration? One year later?
Our nation is 16 Trillion dollars in debt. The only way forward is to reduce the size of the say NO the size of government and say NOto rising the debt ceiling. Most of al, we must employ innovation, creativity, imagination, and include leaders from all sectors of society in re-imagining a nation where every citizen prospers. This process of inclusion can and will result in sustainable economic growth of 4-6%.
I am calling for One Billion Dollars to be channeled into cities instead of into campaigns for President. I am calling for corporations and foundations to invest in people and in cities. By November we can create hundreds if not thousands of jobs that last beyond election day. We can fund playgrounds and computer labs. We can bring capital into cities to improve infrastructure and to build new schools. We can train veterans and help people over 55 re-brand themselves and bring their expertise and experience back into the market in new ways.
What I want to give more than anything else is the "gift" of you to you. I want to ignite a spark that allows you to reconnect with the voice of your soul and to tap into the powerful life force within you. I want to inspire you to find your voice and to use your voice by serving as a leader in your home and community, in your church, in Congress, Cabinet positions and in the White House. Our country needs what you have to offer. Inertia and apathy are forms of fear. We are all afraid at times, and often fear overwhelms us in the moment. By taking action and moving through the fear, we gain strength and we tap into the courage that has always been there.
In unity we find our way forward. Unity does not require that we give up our cherished values our beliefs or our principles. Instead it necessitates that we honor, respect and acknowledge the right of all others to embrace and even fight for values, beliefs and principles that are different from our own. It is fear and only fear that keeps us locked into a very narrow and restrictive worldview insisting that our way is the only right way.
Forgive yourself! Forgive everyone. Forgive everything.
If America heals the world will heal.
We are a nation of leaders and my Presidency is to inspire, encourage, empower, and model strong, courageous, authentic, visionary and courageous leadership. New life and a New American Story are being birthed through us and it has been a long and difficult labor. What holds us together as a nation is a spirit and a belief that anything is possible. We are a people who defy the odds and who courageously risk failure in pursuit of the fulfillment of our dreams and the realization of our innate potential.
What has made our beloved country great is our freedom to disagree, to protest, to challeng, and to act in service to our highest sense of right. What is best about our country is our heart's desire to be of service, our commitment to our neighbors and our altruistic spirit. At our core we are love and we know how to be loving. We have not forgotten - in fact we yearn to give and to receive love and the political life of our nation is desperately in need of our love.
In the mid 80s Marianne Williamson launched her career with her first book A Return to Love.
My daily prayer during those years was "Dear God, teach me how to love".
Beloved, We share the same heartbeat. When my heart first opened, I was terrified of being in the world with an open heart. Still, today, there are moments when I am tempted to close off and to go into fear to become judgmental and to move away from others who look, believe and act differently. However, those moments are fleetin, because the absolute joy of being in the world, experiencing the humanit, and the love of others is what gives my life meaning and purpose.
A year ago, when I surrendered to the powerful voice from deep within in that was also speaking to me through strangers proclaiming a clear message that I was "called" and had been prepared to lead as President of the United States of America, I was captured by a vision and I was offered a glimpse of the Glory and the Promise of America. I know that our best days are ahead of us. I understand the words of Dr. Martin Luther King "I have been to the Mountaintop and I see the Promised Land. We as a People will get to the Promised Land"
The Promise Land is Here Now and we Enter Together.