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The tool that is bringing me the most peace during this election. See why below.
Alert: If you're sick of the campaign, this email is not about politics but rather about powerful and aligned process intended to help you find peace during this election. Enjoy!
This election is hanging over life like a dark cloud. The division, the chaos, the misinformation….I hear from a lot of people that they wake up at night, fear the near future, and find that relationships with close family and friends, sometimes even spouses, are suffering across differences of opinion.
Can you relate?
Hearing these stories breaks my heart and for many months this summer and into early fall, I was at a loss about what to do. Of course, my work as a coach makes a difference and the way I raise my children matters. And as the election crept closer, I felt pulled to get involved. But how?
In 2018, I tried phone-banking. I HATED it. I was so angry at the process and the waste of my time that the poor young organizers doing the debrief were glad to see me go after all the "feedback" I offered. It wasn't pretty.
This year, one of my friends, who is like the angel on my shoulder, whispered over tea on my front steps, "try this" and introduced me to my new political home: deep canvassing.
Traditional political conversations involve facts and badgering and trying to convince others of your opinion. To me that process always feels intrusive, disrespectful, unwelcome, and disconnected. People feel used. I have felt used. (Insert feedback to young debriefer here.) As a result, we avoid uncomfortable conversations and feel progressively more distant, even from those we love most.
Deep canvassing involves everything that I know makes a difference in people's work and lives. The process requires you to:
- dig deep and be vulnerable
- manage your instinct to convince
- be curious and open
- listen
- connect
Deep canvassing starts from the premise that people matter. That their life experiences matter. That as the caller, you matter. And the belief that it is possible to reach across the divide to find that we have more in common than we think and to start to heal our nation.
(If you want to learn more about deep canvassing, here is an article from Rolling Stone and one from The Atlantic. There is also a fantastic podcast called "To See Each Other." In the first episode, you hear how a woman transformed from alienating her loved ones to healing her closest relationships.)
No matter who wins this election, the US needs healing to restore our union. In my humble opinion, the only way to do that is to listen to one another, bring empathy and curiosity, and become vulnerable for the sake of connection.
This email isn't about getting you on the phones for the last push of this election (although if you want to do that, you can sign up here.) It's about looking for the conversations you've been avoiding with family and friends. For the people you've stopped calling or who have stopped calling you. And to find a way to reach out to them. When you re-establish those connections in your personal life, they become part of the greater healing we so desperately need.
Deep canvassing gives me hope. It is helping me and many others get through this election cycle and anticipate the future with optimism.
I hope this is helpful. Please hit reply to this email and share what you think. I always love to hear from you.
Be well.
Christina
