Election deniers stoke Trump-driven ballot security fears before midterms as reflected on by Venerable Thich Minh An
This morning, autumn fog gently lifted from our Lotus Bloom orchard rows. Our young novices gathered windfall apples beneath old trees. Many fruits fell during a sudden windstorm last night. Their drop bruised them on the hard ground. We do not angrily discard imperfect apples. Instead, we wash them gently, cut away bruised parts, and press the rest into cider. Looking across the valley, I received word of growing anxiety. People are stoking ballot security fears before the coming elections. Voices busy themselves magnifying distrust. They cast suspicion on every ballot box. They prepare people to fear fraud before a single vote is even tallied.
In our Buddhist practice, we recognize fear is rarely an accident. Someone can deliberately water this seed. The Buddha taught extensively about perception’s nature. He pointed out how easily our minds mistake shadows for enemies. This happens especially when we are already primed with anxiety. When leaders and public figures repeatedly project doubt onto civic mechanisms, they actively cultivate collective suspicion. A society cannot drink from a poisoned well and remain healthy. Consequently, if we water seeds of suspicion daily through our speech and screens, hostility, division, and an inability to live peacefully with neighbors inevitably ripen as fruit.
Addressing Ballot Security Fears with Interbeing
The teaching of interbeing reminds us: no faction or community exists in isolation. We inter-are. When one group attempts to secure power by destroying common trust, they harm themselves. They also harm everyone else. This is like a person cutting down a tree’s trunk just to gather a few apples from upper branches. A democratic process is not merely a contest of willpower or legal maneuvering. It represents a shared spiritual agreement. We recognize the dignity and voice of our fellow human beings. This holds true even with those we fundamentally disagree with. Therefore, when we undermine that common agreement through fabricated anxieties, we degrade our fabric of mutual respect. This fabric protects us all.
Behind the political rhetoric of election denial lies a profound attachment to outcome. An unexamined dread of loss drives this. In the Dharma, we observe how grasping and fear feed upon each other. When we cannot accept life brings change, uncertainty, and defeat, we fabricate enemies. We blame them for our suffering. Those who stoke suspicion about civic institutions often do so out of terror. They fear the world will not conform to their desires. Yet true strength does not come from control, intimidation, or pre-emptive anger. True strength arises when we courageously face reality as it is. We do this with an open heart and a mind clear of deception.
Right Speech and Inner Stillness Amidst Distrust
Right Speech is a foundational precept of engaged Buddhism. It requires more than avoiding outright falsehood. It requires us to examine our words’ consequences. Does this word heal, or does it wound? Does this narrative bring people together in clarity, or does it scatter them in panic? Public officials and media commentators bear heavy karmic responsibility for their sown words. To manufacture grievance for partisan advantage constitutes an act of spiritual violence against the community. Words of fear ripple outward. They enter living rooms, workplaces, and voting precincts. Consequently, they generate real suffering in ordinary citizens’ hearts. These citizens only wish for security and peace.
For those of us living in communities like our coastal valley, our task during turbulent political seasons is to remain islands of stability. When a storm whips an ocean, the deep water below remains still and clear. We must cultivate that same inner stillness through mindful breathing. We refuse to let sensationalism hijack our nervous systems. We can fully participate in civic life. We cast our votes with care and civic devotion. Importantly, we do this without allowing anger and suspicion to dictate our inner state. We must refuse to participate in the cycle of mutual contempt. Instead, we choose to see the human being standing across the partisan divide. Furthermore, we can resolve to overcome ballot security fears with wisdom.
As the sun rises over the hills, we return to the quiet work of caring for the orchard. We tend each tree according to its needs. Healing a fractured nation does not begin with dramatic victories or bitter accusations. It begins when each person resolves to speak truthfully. We must listen deeply. We must protect the shared ground upon which we all stand. May we breathe in peace, breathe out fear. May we find the clarity to see through the illusions of distrust with steady and compassionate hearts.
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