Hey friends, it’s Brad here.
Today’s post isn’t part of the One Cause series, least not directly. In other words, it’s unlikely to end up in the book. It’s one of those pieces that came from a restless moment in my heart—and maybe you’ve had a few of those yourself lately.
I want to talk about something I think many of us may be struggling with:
How do we show up politically in this time of unraveling—without losing our center, our soul, or our sanity?
Because I’ve been wrestling. And I think it’s time I brought that wrestling out into the circle.
April 5 Protest & Emotional Reality
This past Saturday, I was one of about 1,200 folks gathered in my hometown for a protest against the continued dismantling of climate protections and democratic norms under the Trump administration. The energy was powerful. The people were passionate. The signs were clever, the chants strong.
But on the inside, I felt torn.
Part of me wanted to yell louder, to join in with that surge of righteous anger that so many were riding. But another part of me… pulled back.
It wasn’t because I don’t care.
It’s because I care so damn much, and I’m trying to grow into a different consciousness—a regenerative, integral, wholeness-seeking worldview. And yet, there I was… drifting back into the very thing I’ve spent decades trying to outgrow: That old “us versus them” energy—the kind that feels like it gives us strength but really just reinforces the walls we’re trying to tear down. From that arose a question.
The Core Question – Can I Be Fierce and Still Whole?
Here’s the question I came home with:
Can I stand fiercely for what’s right… without making someone else the enemy?
Can I oppose the policies that are wrecking the planet, denying people their rights, and stoking hatred—without falling into hatred myself?
Can I protest from a place of sacred alignment instead of spiritual fragmentation?
And what does that even look like?
Turning to the Integral Lens – A Wider View
This is where the Integral perspective I’ve studied and lived with for years has been such a gift—and such a challenge. For those unfamiliar, Integral Theory teaches that people and cultures evolve through different worldviews (or collective levels of consciousness):
From power-driven (Red) to rule-bound (Amber),
To success-focused (Orange), to care-and-equality-focused (Green),
And then—if we’re lucky—to Teal and Turquoise, where we start seeing systems, interdependence, and even sacred wholeness.
And Trumpism, whether we like it or not, is a mash-up of earlier stages: Red power plays, Amber nationalism, and Orange greed run amok.
But here’s the twist:
Raging against it from a purely Green place doesn’t work.
Because Green can become tribal too—just with better hashtags and more compost.
Integral invites us to transcend and include.
To honor our outrage, but not let it harden our hearts.
To see our opponents not as monsters—but as people caught in an outdated operating system.
The Tension – My Personal Rub
Now, let me be honest: That’s damn hard sometimes.
Because when I see what’s being done to our forests and animals, to our children’s future, to truth itself…it feels like evil. It looks like a system that deserves to be burned down, not integrated.
So how do I act from that place of clear-eyed truth…without becoming what I’m opposing?
How do I avoid turning righteous indignation into spiritual self-righteousness?
A New Political Path – My Recommitment
Here’s what I’ve come to, and what I’m recommitting to right now:
I will still march when it matters. And I will march with presence and heart-centeredness, not just passion.
I will speak truth to power. And I will do so with fierce love, not reactive anger.
I will vote. I will write. I will organize. And I will do so from a place rooted in my virtues—creativity, perspective, honesty, and a deep spiritual trust in life’s unfolding.
And I will invite others into circles of listening to nature, not echo chambers. Because it’s time for conversations that stretch us—not just validate us.
So, if you’ve been struggling with this too…
If you feel torn between the call to resist and the pull to heal…
If you’ve felt the weight of the world and wondered how to hold it all without breaking— You’re not alone.
You are part of a growing community of people trying to live the future now.
Trying to midwife a culture that doesn’t yet exist—but must, if we’re to survive and thrive.
So here’s my invitation:
Let’s be regenerative activists—not just reactors.
Let’s be sacred warriors, not soldiers of ideology.
Let’s be the bridge—not the battleground.
There’s still time.
There’s still beauty.
And there’s still a role for each of us to play.
So I’ll keep writing. I’ll keep listening. I’ll keep standing—for the Earth, for each other, and for a future that calls us to something better.
And I hope you’ll walk with me.
With fierce love and humble strength,
Brad
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