a beginner's guide to voting with your body

What does it mean to vote with your body?

We tend to think of political activism as writing letters to public figures, going on marches or going to the polls every few years, but I have come to realise that the most powerful political tool I have access to is me. The way I choose to live, the beliefs I choose to maintain, my choices each day, these are my ballot. My body is my ballot.

Here is a quick, but maybe not so easy, beginner's guide (because I am still a beginner at conscious living also) to voting with your body.

1. Self inquiry. Get quite. Get still. Ask yourself what kind of being you are. Are you a helpful being? Are you a kind being? What are your values? 

No one has a right to pass judgement on your values. Your values, whatever you decide they are, are your unique gift to the world. (and, by the way, your values can change as often as you decide based on whatever new information you might receive. There is a word for inflexible values, it's called "dogma")

Let your values inform your politics.

2. Recognize your power. Think about all the ways you interact with the political and economic system. Do you buy things? Do you consume things? Are you involved in organizations? What about communities or social groups? What activities do you enjoy? Who do you work for? How do you spend your time?

3. Become conscious. Critically analyse whether the activities in the above line up with your values. Where does your money go? For example, do you give your money to oil and petroleum companies (no judgement, I do it too!) or to your local municipality in the form of public transportation? 

Where do you buy your food? Where does that food come from and how is it produced? What are you actually eating (read ingredients)? 

What else are you buying/consuming? Clothing? Where is that made? What is it made of? Who made it? Furniture? Books? Other things? Do you need them? Who are you supporting and why?

Remember that every time you put a penny down you participate in a political/social/environmental act. What is your purchase saying to the government, to your community, to yourself?

Think about your choices. 

Time is a form of currency too. Think about where you are spending your time and how. Do these choices feel good to you? If so they are probably in alignment with your values. If not, then you might want to ask yourself why you are investing time in them.

Infuse your day, your week, your life with consciousness.

4. Notice and make adjustments. Only once we finally see what we are doing can we decide to make changes. Remember that you are significant! Corporations, organizations, producers couldn't survive without individuals who support them! And if you want to see change in the world the easiest way is to change how you see the world. Start with yourself. You are the only thing you can really change. Feel the power and agency in that. If you life with conscious intention, you lead with authority.

5. Never stop learning, changing and adjusting. Be open. Seek the truth, but don't cling to it.

I told you it was quick! Easy is another story. It can seem overwhelming - all of the choices, so many things to consider and so much potential for mistakes! But there is a great beauty and comfort in knowing that each simple choice we make helps to create a reality we are looking towards. Nobody can live 100% perfectly all the time (or ever!), but we can adapt, recalibrate, and use our values to guide us gradually to the path of our choosing and in time, to the world of our choosing.

I may not be the most politically literate person in the world, and you won't catch me protesting in the street, but I make sure I vote every day with my lifestyle and my choices. Gandhi said, "my life is my message," well I second that, and add, my body is my ballot. 

Love,

R