Love

It is totally understandable but there is a great deal of fear, hurt and anger evident in the actions and decisions of the people in this and other countries. In our case we still haven’t fully recovered from the "great recession", so resources are tight and many people are under-paid or under-employed. In the words of Benjamin Friedman: "When material progress falters........people become more jealous of their status relative to others. Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases, as does conflict between races and classes; concern for the poor tends to decline." Unfortunately, these tendencies result in political decisions and actions that harm the earth and many of the humans living on it. It seems clear that reason, science or material gains are not sufficient to reverse these trends, resulting in better choices. The only thing I am familiar with that might work is love and a spiritual awakening of sorts. This has also been suggested by many spiritual leaders. "In the Dhammapada he [the Buddha] teaches that in this world hate never dispels hate. Only love dispels hate."