Conscious Choice: You Better Believe it Matters!

February 2004 | Editor’s Note

You Better Believe it Matters!

Let’s face it, for most of us, we either enjoy following politics or we studiously avoid them. It’s particularly true of Conscious Choice‘s readership as there are distinct subcultures among our audience. In fact, this magazine’s shorthand mission statement of "Bringing the Marchers & Meditators Together," means that while we’re all pulling for one united vision of a better world, our approaches to getting there can be very different.

For instance, a "Marcher" could be a political activist who peacefully agitates for change, which of course, is an outward action. (Just witness the huge demonstrations against the Bush administration’s war policies!) Conversely, a "Meditator" focuses inwardly on what’s going on in their body and with their feelings. This introspection, as beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh says, cultivates peace and compassion, which is the foundation of then spreading peace and compassion among others. You may recognize yourself as a Marcher or Meditator or, likely you fall somewhere in between, depending on the issue.

Nonetheless, there’s a huge common denominator among our group — you and me. We’re referred to as "Cultural Creatives." This term was coined by Paul Ray, Ph.D., a sociologist who’s been studying this country’s cultural shift for many years. The commonality among Cultural Creatives is that we’re disillusioned with the way our political process has been shifting. Our perception, according to Ray, is that there’s no difference between Republicans and Democrats. That for the most part, both political parties don’t care about the issues that really fire us up — like ecological sustainability, health and education. Overall, Ray says, we believe there’s a lack of personal authenticity among political candidates. And, because of all this, many of us just throw our hands up and say, "Why vote! What does it matter?"

Ah-ha! But it does matter, according to Ray, because we Cultural Creatives — some 50-million Marchers and Meditators strong — are connecting and communicating to form a voting bloc — one to be reckoned with. What great news! We just need to follow through...and that means getting out to vote, starting with the primary elections on March 16th.

In this issue, we’ve identified many of the local progressive candidates who care about what we Cultural Creatives care about. We’ve singled out U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama as one of the "new progressives" who’s passionate about making a better world. Additionally, associate editor Mandy Burrell has done extensive research to present a glowing list of state and local candidates who can make a difference on behalf of our concerns.

Don’t be disillusioned; stay focused and stay with us. Whether you’re a Marcher or Meditator or dancing at the edges, know that we at Conscious Choice will do our best to offer a compass for these challenging times...and together we can forge a collective identity that will make Cultural Creatives a political powerhouse.

Inside this Issue

New Column: Many of today’s leading holistic thinkers are affiliated with the celebrated Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. So it’s a great privilege for Conscious Choice to partner with Omega in order to bring the insights of these contemporary authors and teachers to our readers on a bi-monthly basis. Starting this month, meditation guru Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., offers his wisdom on mindfulness.

Endnotes

We welcome Roni Ambrister as Conscious Choice’s new publisher. Roni comes equipped with the talents and skills to help us continue down the path of making this magazine your "go to" publication in Chicago for alternative information on health, environment, personal growth, spirituality and social justice. As a leader, she brings a refreshing sense of wonder and appreciation to everything we do here, from compiling and delivering poignant news and features to presenting advertisers who share our readers’ sensibilities. She is a rich addition to our magazine. — Rebecca Ephraim

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