Spirituality & Practice

In the face of deep concerns expressed by friends about the direction the federal government was taking and their feelings of powerlessness to do anything about it, four women in Riverside, California, decided to create a list of actions that people in their community could take to help restore democracy. To their surprise, people not only discovered new things to do, but recognized that they were already doing some of these actions which then gave them a greater sense of hope and understanding of their own power. Many of these action suggestions are national programs. Spirituality & Practice encourages people to adapt this resource sheet for their areas. JOIN GROUPS THAT EDUCATE AND TAKE ACTION: Indivisible and Indivisible Riverside indivisible.org indivisibleriverside.com Indivisible is a national grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda. Indivisible Riverside is a local Indivisible group that engages in organized, peaceful and lawful exercise of our civil rights to influence government at all levels. Its activism is focused around organizing actions and events for progressive causes. League of Women Voters Riverside (LWV) lwv.org/local-leagues/lwv-riverside The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. American Civil Liberties Union Southern California (ACLU) aclusocal.org aclu.org/action Check out both local and national websites for all the projects and activities ACLU is involved in in Southern California including People Power, a grassroots action that helps volunteers mobilize communities to defend and advance civil liberties and civil rights for all. Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice ic4ij.org Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice works with over 35 partners to advocate for policies that protect immigrant communities at local, state, and federal levels. American Association of University Women (AAUW) aauw.org The AAUW’s website contains an Advocacy Tool Kit that includes how to organize different types of political forums, when to write a Letter to the Editor versus an Op-Ed, and guidance for public demonstrations. MoveOn moveon.org MoveOn members mobilize to build a country and world characterized by greater equality, sustainability and justice where everyone can thrive. MoveOn supports candidates and works to pass legislation and change culture. The Practicing Democracy Project PracticingDemocracy.net A collaboration between Spirituality & Practice and the Fetzer Institute, this website is curating resources and spiritual practices for different constituencies wanting to support a flourishing democracy. Included are conversation cards, program guides, rituals, prayers, book and film reviews, and more. The American Library Association ala.org uniteagainstbookbans.org ALA supports diversity, lifelong learning, equitable access to information and library services, intellectual freedom, and literacy. Check out their Unite Against Book Bans campaign. The Freedom to Read Foundation ftrf.org The FTRF protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect and individuals to access information. FTRF supports and engages directly in litigation along with its advocacy and public education efforts. Red Wine and Blue redwine.blue Red Wine & Blue is a sisterhood of diverse, local communities working to change the world together. Issue advocacy toolkits are available on topics including, freedom to parent anti-racism, momonomics, book ban busters, protecting voting rights, and the reality of Project 2025. Third Act thirdact.org Third Act is a community of Americans over sixty using their life experiences, skills, and resources to change the world for the better. They focus on climate and democracy to ensure a safe and stable planet for generations to come. JOIN GROUPS THAT FOCUS ON LESSENING THE POLARIZATION: Riverside Braver Angels Alliance braverangels.org Braver Angels’ goal is to build relationships across the political spectrum and to strengthen the community. Their intent is not to change people’s views of issues, but to change their views of each other. Riverside has just formed its own Braver Angels Alliance. Neighborhood Associations neighborsbettertogether.org/neighborhood-groups Find existing neighborhood associations in Riverside on this website. These associations enable neighbors to work together to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood while providing opportunities to develop stronger relationships that are not focused on politics. Civity civity.org Civity works to create a cultural infrastructure of positive relationships across differences consisting of concrete, do-able, everyday actions in which everyone can engage. Civity offers in-person and online trainings ranging from introductory workshops to in-depth coaching sessions that prepare participants to facilitate civity experiences for others. Civity also supports workshop participants with post-workshop coaching. Living Room Conversations livingroomconversations.org A Living Room Conversation is an event where people come together in person or online to discuss an issue using a carefully crafted “conversation guide” that fosters connections and understanding. Information about training and tools can be found on their website. EDUCATE YOURSELF: Read books on the topic Cellar Door Bookstore cellardoorbookstore.com Cellar Dooris an excellent source of books on the topics of saving democracy and responding to authoritarianism. It also offers several pertinent book clubs. A good book to start with is On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. New York: Tim Duggan Books, 2017. Attend classes on relevant topics UCR's OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute olli.ucr.edu/ucrolli/course/course.aspx?catId=10 OSHER offers courses on current events and usually several on historical or political topics of interest. Courses are offered in-person and on Zoom at the Riverside location. Follow Substack writers and listen to podcasts “Letters From an American” by Heather Cox Richardson heathercoxrichardson.substack.com “Robert Reich,” former Secretary of Labor, daily newsletter robertreich.substack.com “Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance” former United States Attorney joycevance.substack.com The Bulwark provides analysis and reporting in defense of liberal democracy by center right authors who take issue with the current administration. thebulwark.com Robert Reich's YouTube video on "Five Ways to Fight Trump's Fascism" youtube.com/watch?v=8W-lVRQQGtI Learn from Websites MeidasTouch News is a pro-democracy news website with articles, videos, and podcasts. meidasnews.com The Brennan Center for Justice website describes its work to reform, revitalize, and defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice. brennancenter.org Democracy Docket is dedicated to information, analysis and opinion about voting rights and elections in the courts. democracydocket.com Listen to our local NPR and PBS stations Radio stations KVCR 91.9 and KUCR 88.3 KVCR TV channel 24 and PBS SoCal channels 50 and 28 Read newspapers, journals and magazines The Raincross Gazette is a digital newspaper focused on what’s happening in Riverside and how it is impacted. raincrossgazette.com Black Voice News is an Inland Empire publication that addresses a wide range of issues that impacts the lives of Black Californians. blackvoicenews.com The New York Times nytimes.com The Atlantic theatlantic.com/magazine WRITE: Letters to the Editor of newspapers Press Enterprise opinion@scng.org Letters to the editor no longer than 150 words and op-ed submissions no longer than 600 words can be submitted via email to the address above. Additional information about submissions is also available at this website. Los Angeles Times latimes.com/oe-howtosubmitoped-story.html Guidelines for submitting letters to the editor or op-ed pieces to the LA Times can found at the website above. Postcards to prospective voters Indivisible Riverside https://www.indivisibleriverside.com MoveOn.Org front.moveon.org Postcards to Voters postcardstovoters.org Activate America activateamerica.vote Emails to National and State Elected Officials Google the elected official you wish to email to get his or her current email address. Contact information will also be on the elected official’s official website. USA.gov will provide the name of your federal elected officials and their contact information. findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov will give you the name of your California Assembly person and Senator. MAKE CALLS: 5 Calls 5calls.org 5 Calls makes it easy to reach members of Congress by researching issues, writing scripts, figuring out the most influential decision-makers, and collecting phone numbers for their offices. SING: Riverside Resistance Choir facebook.com/ResistWithSongs The Riverside Resistance Choir uses song to advocate for human rights for all. Playlist Songs of Lament, Resistance, and Joy. Spirituality & Practice put together a Spotify playlist of songs to help you process frustration, righteous anger, powerlessness, etc. and lead you into determination, hope, and transformation. ATTEND MEETINGS OF LOCALLY ELECTED OFFICIALS: School Boards Riverside Unified School District riversideunified.org/board-of-education RUSD’s website contains information about meeting agendas and minutes and the Board’s meeting schedule. Alvord School District alvordschools.org/152298_2 AUSD website contains information about meeting agendas and minutes and the Board’s meeting schedule. City Council riversideca.gov/council This site has a button for dates and agendas for City Council Meetings. County Board of Supervisors rivco.org/board of supervisors This website has information about meetings, calendars and agendas. Townhalls for CA Assembly Members, CA Senators, US Representatives Contact your local official and asked to be put on their mailing list for townhalls. Also, check out accounts and websites run by the elected officials and their staff including: Facebook, Bluesky, official government websites — specifically sections on Press Releases, Events, and Media Alerts, and official government newsletters. VOTE: County Registrar of Voters voteinfo.net The County Registrar of Voters website contains information about how to register to vote, about current and past elections, as well as information about individual candidates and issues. Information for currently registered voters and poll worker is also available along with multiple links to related topics. Vote411 vote411.org Vote 411 is "one-stop-shop" for election related information. It is committed to ensuring voters have the information they need to successfully participate in every election. Whether it’s local, state or federal, every election is important to ensuring our laws and policies reflect the values and beliefs of our community. VISIT: Civil Rights Institute of Southern California inlandcivilrights.org The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California inspires people of all ages through lifting up the historic and ongoing civil rights stories of the region, fostering community advocacy, and building champions of tomorrow. Center for Civil Rights & Social Justice, Riverside Community College District socialjustice.rccd.edu The Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties was inspired ​by Miné Okubo, a Japanese American woman artist and Riverside City College Alumna who played a significant rol​e in documenting the lives of mid-20th century J​apanese Americans in the United States. FUND: Contribute money to organizations that are mobilizing people to act and standing up for democratic principles. The organizations listed above are a good place to start. AMPLIFY and SHARE: Don’t be shy. Speak up whenever you have the chance. Share information and ideas from credible newspapers or Substack articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, your own ideas, or any other good messages as widely as you can on your social media or with friends via email and texting. Share this list of “What I Can Do” with friends and acquaintances in Riverside and people out of the city who might be interested in creating a similar list for their own community

By Ammara Mohsin for KidSpirit’s Discovery and Progress issue. It was with much excitement over the prospect of being able to visit a different country, albeit from afar, that I visited the Indo-Pak Wagah Border in Lahore. This is the boundary dividing India and Pakistan, with the eastern half of the Wagah village in India and the western half in Pakistan. I am from Pakistan, and as our car came to a screeching halt some miles away from the border gate, so did my anticipation. A whirlwind of emotions hit me. The first was disappointment, for India and Pakistan are as similar as a pair of monozygotic twins. Where was the “other country” I was promised?

True friends are those who can go through thick and thin together. When we are happy, we should spread it around. Moreover, when our friends achieve fame and fortune, or accomplish some success, we should offer them our blessings with heartfelt sincerity, while sharing in their glory. We must never be jealous or attempt to obstruct them in their endeavors. Life is so beautiful when we know how to share joy with others.

I have the great privilege of working with a group of kids at the church where I serve. The group is diverse: Every week we have kids of different ages, races, genders, and economic class backgrounds. We have kids who attend regularly, kids who are coming for the first time, and kids who normally attend other churches or faith communities but are visiting the area. In many ways, it is a microcosm of the wider society.

God of justice and grace and mercy: You have always called your people to be future-pulled, not past-driven. You invite us to be co-creators in a world that is of your making. You urge us to risk — even to fail, looking toward a future that is beyond our knowing. So with humility we pray for guidance as we risk setting forth our best ideas, in full recognition that your future will always be marked by your love for the whole of creation. So with humility we pray for the courage to follow your will and your way, knowing that you care for every child created in your image. We walk familiar grounds, Are touched by the beauty of this familiar place, Almost surprise ourselves as we quietly — with some embarrassment — Declare our experiences spiritual. So with humility we pray for a holy passion to claim minds and hearts as we move toward a future where success is measured by the finest in human values — a future of justice and mercy and love. Finally, we are moved to pray for a kinder future for all who suffer, holding in our hearts all who face a future armed with faith alone. We pray for ourselves, that we might never lose our urge to reach out beyond our own familiar borders. So with gratitude and humility we receive the many gifts that have been entrusted to our safe keeping. Teach us, Holy One, to share!

Although the Dürer story below is partially apocryphal, according to art historians and others who have looked carefully at this famous pen-and-ink drawing, the meaning conveyed by Ardath Rodale still stands: Hands tell stories about our character and deeds. In this excerpt from her Everyday Miracles, Rodale reminds us not to take for granted how much hands give to us and how much we receive from them. "Please look at your hands. They are a history book of where you've been and everything you've touched and worked for. Think of the handshakes you've shared and pause for a moment to remember how they felt — some weak or strong, others soft or rough. Through their hands, you felt some of the other person's character and even the kind of work they've done. Remember how your hands feel when you hold a small baby or someone of any age. They are filled with love and beauty. "I remember the hand of a kind hospital intern comforting me during a spinal tap procedure and, another time, the hands of a nurse who had tended my dying son cradling my face as she calmed and consoled me before a serious operation. "You are probably familiar with the famous painting The Praying Hands by German artist Albrecht Dürer. There is a meaningful story about it. Being an artist was Durer's fondest dream. He had another artist friend, an older man, and the two of them struggled together to stay alive. The friend told Durer to continue painting, and he would go out to work. When funds came in from selling the paintings, he said, he would begin painting again himself. Sadly, the friend who labored to support them developed enlarged joints and twisted fingers that made it impossible for him to hold a paintbrush. One day, Durer saw his friend kneeling in prayer. He said, 'I can never give back the skill in those hands, but I can show the world the feeling of love and gratitude which is in my heart for his noble deed.' Now, those praying hands have inspired people all over the world. "At the summer children's camp on our farm this year, one little girl had an accident, and other girls gently stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. I carefully laid my hands on her injured leg and told them that hands can help heal. 'Can they really?' they asked, and I said, 'It happened to me.' A calmness spread over the injured child. "The camp children are so spontaneous and loving. When they see me coming down to the farm, they cry, 'Ardie!' and run with outstretched hands into my waiting arms for hugs. Look at what our hands can do! "Please hold your palms upward to receive special gifts of love and kindness. Now turn your palms downward and feel that you are giving back love and kindness through service to others. "May our lives be a blessing as we reach out spreading joy and sharing peace, hope, healing, and love in every season of the year. I reach out to touch you!”

Bunny's mother reminds her that her little cousin is coming to visit her: "He's only little, so show him you care. Please remember, it's important to share." But the toddler turns out to be a ball of energy poking and pulling Bunny's bear and then jumping up and down on her bed. Reading a book to him and even watching television with him doesn't calm him down. He seems to ruin everything she tries to do. Playing dress-up, he breaks her beads. At lunch, he breaks a plate. Bunny pleads to her mother, "I've had enough." Her patient and wise mother says, "All that he wants is to be just like you. That's why he copies whatever you do." Writer and illustrator Sally Anne Garland has fashioned a very universal story about the difficulty most of us have in relating to irritating people. With her mother's key insight into what took place between Bunny and her cousin, she is able to see afresh the ways in which she can connect with others. In spiritual terms, her little cousin turns out to be her spiritual teacher for the day.

The father of two brothers has died and they begin a bitter dispute over which one of them should inherit the land. In the city of Jerusalem, King Solomon listens to their account and then tells them a story that has been passed down through the generations. It is set in a time long before any temple had been constructed in Jerusalem. Two brothers have separate farms but harvest the crops equally. This co-operative venture works out well for each of them. The older brother marries and starts a family while the younger brother remains single. Feeling abundantly blessed, the older brother secretly sets aside some extra sacks of grain for his brother. But he and his wife are surprised when they discover the same number of sacks of grain in their store house. It turns out that his younger brother has given him some of his grain to take care of his growing family. The kindness and the generosity of the two brothers lays the foundations for the holy city of Jerusalem, home of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Chris Smith has done a marvelous job in adapting this meaningful and deeply spiritual fable for children ages 4 - 8. The stunning and fluid paintings by Aurelia Fronty add immeasurably to the drama and impact of One City, Two Brothers. A final note must be made about this children's book: it admirably salutes the medicinal powers of a well-told story that can bring people together and heal the wounds and warfare of the past with its vision of a peaceful future.

Stephen G. Post is professor of preventive medicine and director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University. He is president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, established in 2001 with support of the philanthropist John Templeton and the Templeton Foundation. Post is the author of several books including Why Good Things Happen to Good People. In this new uplifting work, the author uses his family's move from Ohio to their new home in New York as a way of illustrating the many ways in which transition, change, and mystery can signal a breakthrough to new possibilities. Post also sees the book as an exploration of the many benefits of helping others or, as he puts it, "a true companion and guide to the power of giving, forgiving, and compassion in hard times." After living in Cleveland for 20 years, the author found it hard to adjust to a new place and unfamiliar people: he is overwhelmed by a sense of displacement and loss. But in the long term he learns that the ties of affection, good neighbors, and love itself are what constitute happiness. Post recovers his equilibrium by helping others. In a survey by the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, he discovers that people reap many rewards from doing good including greater longevity, lower rates of heart disease, improved mental and emotional health, and relief of stress and negative emotions. Volunteers who regularly serve others talk of a "helper's high" that comes with moving beyond self and putting others first. Post quotes John Templeton: "Every act of helping is a way of saying yes to life." The challenge of service is to discover your hidden gift and then to give to those who need it most. It could be serving food to the homeless, or supporting a shelter for abused women, or regularly visiting shut-ins. Post believes that happiness arises from four elements that create a spiritual foundation: loving others, the presence of moral integrity, the ability to enjoy thankful simplicity, and staying true to your higher purpose. The author concludes with a strong affirmation of the art of hanging on to hope in these hard times: "Hope is not simply the capacity to be optimistic; it is so much bigger than that. Hope leads us into the future with a deep trust that something good will come. It helps us keep going when we stumble, and gives us a vision to guide us in the face of adversity."

Intercession 1. Begin with a relaxation and silence exercise. 2. Put yourself in contact with Christ. Imagine yourself flooded with his light, life and power. 3. Imagine yourself laying your hands on the heads of the persons you love. Jesus dwells in each one. Ask that the love of Christ descend upon them. Wordlessly. See them illuminated by the light and love of Christ. See them transformed. 4. If weariness comes on, return to the comforting presence of Christ and rest in him for some moments. When you are refreshed return to laying your hands on them. 5. Do the same with each person with whom you have some relationship: persons entrusted to your care, family members, those with whom you live or work, persons for whom you have the greatest obligation to pray and intercede. 6. Pray for your friends, for those whom you do not like, for those who do not like you. Christ's power passes through your hands to each of these persons. 7. Pray for whole nations, for those that have greater responsibilities and power, for the poorer ones, for those that are at war . . . Leave your mind blank for a few moments, and ask the Holy Spirit to suggest to you persons for whom or intentions for which you ought to pray. Pour the treasures of Christ over others, for they are infinite. The more you share with others, the more will you nourish your own heart.