COUNSELOR’S CORNER: The correct vote

In this last week before the Elections are over, so many of us felt some   tension about who wins and who loses.  With all the negative commercials on television for the past couple of months, we here in the United States become inundated with untruths, negativity, and character assassination of most candidates. Facts seem to be irrelevant. The politics of 2024 seem to be the worst I have ever observed in my life. Television, email, texts, and the intensity of social media put into our ears and before our eyes so much untruth and false statements of political candidates. Political candidates certainly aren’t Saints though we could use a few Saints right now. But I don’t think our candidates for political office deserve to be made such evil persons in the political arena. Maybe we need a new form of promoting candidates: talking about positive qualities each candidate has instead of focusing on the negative. When someone is affirmed and praised it becomes easier to look at this and listen to this. Negativity really doesn’t help anyone look at reality in a productive manner. But to look for the good qualities in other people helps everyone to become more objective.

The CORRECT VOTE is how kind we are to other people and how well we see the goodness in people. The correct vote is how kind and caring we will be to everyone. That kind of “vote” is the Love we bring to our corner of the world. When I am kind and loving, people want to be with me. When you are kind and loving, I want to be with you. When I am critical, angry and resentful, I don’t think many people want to be around me. And if they do want to be with me at those times, they are usually critical, angry and resentful also. The world changes toward a positive direction when “LOVE IS IN THE AIR.” The world changes into a negative and dangerous direction when anger and criticism is in the air. Negativity is not changed when it is met with more negativity. If you attack me personally, I am not going to change you or help you by attacking you back. I am simply giving you more of an excuse to be angry and critical.

The kindest and most loving people in my life helps me to be kind and loving and grateful. I believe that kind and loving people can make good decisions in life because they are not dominated by anger and resentments and self-centeredness. If I am kind and loving toward you, I am helping you and me to become better persons and experience a positive attitude in life. The CORRECT VOTE is an attitude of LOVE AND AN ACTION OF LOVE.

I am convinced that LOVE can overcome everything. I might suffer and die for bringing LOVE to others, but I will leave a legacy of LOVE that will help the world become kinder and more loving. Wars become the result of the absence of LOVE. Arguments and character accusations are the result of the absence of love. I find it amazing how over the centuries Religion has promoted wars and felt so sincere in doing this. The most powerful healing process which can overcome wars and anger and resentments is the powerful energy of LOVE AND KINDNESS. But it takes a lot of faith and love to embrace this amazing, positive energy of love. Life is so short. The more we love, the more we experience God, Peace and Joy.

Life is meant to be always a correct vote of LOVE. My “vote of love” will always make the world a better place and help me to become a better person. Without this “vote of love” each generation continues the same agenda: wars, criticism, anger, resentments, and fear. I think the “vote of love” helps everyone to experience love, peace, affirmation and God. I like this kind of “vote of love” which is an action of LOVE AND KINDNESS. Where will we go if we don’t bring any LOVE AND KINDNESS INTO OUR CORNER OF THE WORLD?
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Fred Cavaiani is a licensed marriage & family therapist and limited licensed psychologist with a private practice in Troy. He is the founder of Marriage Growth Center. He conducts numerous programs for groups throughout Michigan. Cavaiani is associate editor and contributing writer for Human Development Magazine. His column in the Legal News runs every other Tuesday. He can be reached at 248-362-3340. His e-mail address is: Fredcavi@yahoo.com and his website is FredsCounselorsCorner.com.