Political connectedness

We are constantly exposed to a political agenda.  Indeed, there is an ongoing debacle in the media worldwide in recent days on the fall-out from the post Brexit vote discussions and resignations in the UK parliament, and the post Trump Press conference analysis on Russian-American  relations.  This reflects a seemingly growing preoccupation with ‘power and personality’ and the ‘power of personality’ in the political arena.

Nearer home we witnessed signs of collaboration ‘for the common good’ through the passing of the Fuel Divestment Bill  and the Bill to ban Israeli goods from occupied Palestinian territories passing its first vote in the Seanad.   Today, at the High Level Political Forum  at the UN in New York,  Minister Denis Naughten will present Ireland’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) of where we are at in relation to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) in Ireland.

In this context I was delighted to find this piece in today’s Daily Meditation that is posted online by  Richard Rohr from the Centre for Action and Contemplation.

This is an extract from what was written there, with the link to the full text available HERE.

 […]  the role of religion is to reconnect us—to our truest selves, each other, and to God.  If we are all made in God’s image, we are already connected through our inherent, divine DNA. But we’ve forgotten and need reminding! Social psychologist Diarmuid O’Murchu writes about the importance of connection within politics.

Three words encapsulate a new way of being political as we strive to come home to ourselves as a planetary, cosmic and spiritual species: interdependence, sustainability, and justice. In recent decades, we witness a growing awareness of how everything is interconnected and interdependent. But that awareness has scarcely begun to seep into the consciousness of the political arena.

The universe that sustains our existence and the planet that nurtures our relational well-being require political strategies and structures that will both honour and enhance that relational interdependence. And this applies not merely to people but to all creatures inhabiting creation, as well as to the various ecosystems that sustain and nourish our mutual co-existence. In fact, other life forms innately veer in this direction. It is we humans, as vociferous consumers, who threaten the ecological equilibrium. . . .

As Presentation People we ‘know’ within our DNA that interconnectedness that is spoken about.  Now, it seems, there is no better time to continue  to  explore in big and small ways (individually and together)  how to manifest its practical expression wherever we are, and to recognise the urgent need for ‘A politics of Connectedness’.

A great many of our #Nano300 events that have already  taken place  (and others that are planned to year end) have been celebrating the living legacy of Nano Nagle in today’s world in this 300 years since her birth in 1718.  In the last days, in Ballygriffin (Nano’s birthplace) a 5-day event has just concluded and I think the quote that appeared on their Facebook Post is really worth sharing:

“Today is the final day of 5 wonderful days of Inspiration, Wisdom and Reflection at Nano Nagle’s Birthplace, to celebrate 300 years since her birth. These days were very much a time when we explored our rich history, our founding stories and our own experience as a springboard to challenge us to live into a future full of hope”.