A sort of transformation happened to me overnight.

It all started with a little meditation I dreamed up.

I put myself to bed, closed my eyes, and waited until my mind was as still and serene as a pond — one without wind, current or critter to cause ripples or any other natural disturbance.

Then I imagined

…as much of the unimaginably vast creative universe as I could, from which everything in existence was spun into being. And I acknowledged it ALL as being “good”; that is, that “the universe is unfolding as it should”, to use the precise phrase from Desiderata, which is among my favorite writings of all time.

I asked my heart, mind and soul to accept and love it all — even the parts that seem inimical (e.g., Palantir/Musk/Hegseth/Miller/Vought/T-Wrecks, man-eating sharks, pit vipers, disease-carrying insects, etc.) and the people with whom I have diametrically opposed philosophies and values (MAGA, cannibalism, white supremacy, xenophobia, etc.).

I asked the universe to imbue  all of humanity with what Abraham Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature” and to help us all realize that we come from the same star stuff and that we all possess the ability to develop enough discernment to realize that this is true. Borders, races and cultures are social constructs; adhering to them tends to divide what should be unified as a singular species: Human Beings living on land that has been here for millions of years naturally without mandated borders.

I then said that, knowing this,

…we have recently reached a point in our evolution where embracing each other globally has become necessary for our very survival as a species, and for the survival of the rest of the natural world.

We are the Apex Predator on Earth

…but we have the mental ability to realize that we have allowed too many powerful people to become rapacious and inimical to everyone else’s wellbeing and survival.

I asked the Universe to help the vast majority of us understand our responsibilities as global citizens: to tame the tribalism of man and make gentle the life of the world for those who will follow us.

I left the meditation with love and thanksgiving and then fell into a blissful sleep.

And then…

I dreamed about the Final Scene in Star Trek VI

…and for the first time in years truly felt it again, as if seeing it for the first time…

As an eternal optimist, I think humans are entirely capable of achieving a future in which people from all nations unite to create a world (and new adventures) that are not punctuated by war, famine, resource-grabbing from other places, and greed.  I’ve met and known too many good people during my lifetime to know that there are more people of good will than there are of ill will.

That’s why I’m optimistic.

Living outside the United States has shown me that even (and maybe especially) diverse cultures tend to get along when they aren’t constantly having the Red Alert parts of their brains overwhelmed by the powers-that-be who proactively work to keep them on edge via fear-mongering and disinformation.

The United States is infecting the world

…right now. And it has been for far too long — at least 45 years. It has stopped exporting its positive influences, assistance, and values.

Its standing has tanked among western democratic nations.

These days only Russian, Chinese and North Korean despots consider it worthwhile to meet with U.S. government officials. Probably because they smell blood in the water.

The U.S. is vulnerable to these communist countries now

…since it has severed ties with its post-WWII NATO allies across the globe. T-Wrecks (allegedly “Agent Krasnov”)  is “negotiating” with them these days to curry favor at everyone else’s expense, Ukraine being the most obvious recent victim: Musk reportedly sabotaged the country’s defense system on the orders of someone in the U.S. government, he said.

Russia and China very likely have something career and liberty-ending on T-Wrecks, as (very likely) does Benjamin Netanyahu and other Epstein Class oligarchs, which is why he’s doing their bidding and emptying the federal coffers at an unprecedented rate, which U.S. citizens pay into in order to have their own needs met.

Let’s Lance the Boil, then Clean the Poison Out

If US citizens want the future  they deserve, they have to ACT NOW to put the nation back on a trajectory to get there.

This vote doesn’t just affect the U.S. It impacts the world.  Everyone is holding their breath…

So… what will it be?

More of the same chaos and confusion and fear?

Mutually Assured Destruction?

Or…

“Second star to the right, and straight on ’til morning…”

The choice is yours, U.S. voters.  Be a hero. Please end the misery.

Vote NOW, if you can, to leave room at the polls for those who can’t vote earlier than November 3rd.