by Dana Kester-McCabe
It is pretty hard to absorb all the media coverage of politics in an election year without becoming extremely cynical. Sarcasm and sensationalism seem to be the guiding principles behind everything. Even the most respectable journalists seem more bent on covering the contests rather than the issues. Of course candidates and their supporters don’t help much. Their speeches are filled with rhetoric and word play; their advertising barely passes for truth; and supporting pundits scream their points all at the same time. If we are still paying attention by the end of the conventions, by the end of September avoiding the news at any cost seems like a good choice. All this makes it very hard to take a spiritual approach to our responsibility to be actively good citizens. But it is possible. We simply must ask ourselves:

We are all called to be good stewards not only of our own home and community. We are also being called to assure the good order of our country. Voting is the most obvious political expression of that stewardship. But in order to vote we need to be well informed. The call to be aware of the world around us is a very ancient ongoing call. We cannot be connected spiritually if we do not know one another. Politics is thankfully not the only way communities connect people. But during this election season it is a good time to put our attention to how we connect through the political process. If we do not pay attention someone else will and they will make decisions for everyone.

First I would like to suggest that praying for a fair and open process is a good start. Often people will scoff at such a simple approach. But if enough people pray sincerely, their hearts will change and so will the hearts of others. Through prayer and/or positively guided meditation we can calm ourselves and open our hearts and minds enough that we might winnow out a good bit of the actual truth of what we are witnessing. We can then make better informed decisions.

Prayer is just the first step. True faithfulness requires not just right thought but right action. It is not enough to be mad that the press coverage is so bad or that the candidates seem out of touch. It is important to engage. No matter what our political persuasion is we need to stand up and be counted. Yes there is a cacophony of people expressing themselves in many forms of expression. Yes – God may actually be calling some of us to simply be quiet amidst all the noise. But this is an important time to test whether we should speak up.

Quakerism (among others) teaches that we all have to take responsibility for the good order of the world around us. For many Quakers the preferred approach to the media is to ignore it. They suggest – if we must watch broadcast news only watch public broadcasting. But I would contend that even if we cannot take a steady diet of the various news and opinion shows, we should at least sample them from time to time. It is important to know that media companies from their corporate boards down to the reporters and support staff think of the news as “product” and we their audience as their market. Many of us are very intentional about what we buy.

It is important to know why elections turn out the way they do. It would also be great if we had more Quakers working in broadcast news. The esteemed Edward R. Murrow, renowned for his journalistic ethics, was raised as a Quaker. I often wonder what he would think – not just of journalism today, but the public’s wildly divergent reactions to it.

Some might say: “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” We may not all be cut out for the ruthless arena of politics. But ultimately we all have to decide if we are willing to go along with whatever is going on around us. It is a matter of individual conscience. We each must answer in our own way. The media can be a tempting distraction as well as a source of information. Even if we reject a lot of it – the media is ingrained in our society and we are therefore compelled to be aware of it. William Penn said we should live in the world but not be “of it.” In any era that is a difficult charge. People of sincere faith and conviction can make the media useful without being seduced by it.

How do you answer the call to witness and protect the good order of our country? Are your prayers for positive change as well as the wisdom and courage to help make change happen?

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