Love won, again. Thanks to our caring and voting.

Do not take what happened for granted. It was a crisis, like the overturning of Roe v. Wade, averted.

Life advice: never take goodness for granted. Whether it’s our health, our loved ones (family, friends, chosen family). Our climate—we all depend on insects and butterflies and clean air and clean water. Our society—we all depend on Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All. 

And yet, too often, we focus only on ourselves. And while being kind and honest with ourselves is vital, vital, vital—it’s not enough. It doesn’t work, if that’s our first focus. As my bestie friend Peggy said the other day, in looking for a romantic partner, look for someone who “almost cares about you first. And then it’s key for you to also almost care about them first.” It’s the cycle of kindness, caring—you know, love.

And that “almost” word is key, because as we all know we must take care of ourselves, to take care of others.

But the Buddhist advice, here, hits home:

“If you think only of yourself, you’ll be unhappy. If you want to be happy, think first of others.” 

And, yesterday, we did that. We didn’t think just about ourselves. We thought about love. And that’s the message of Buddha, of Jesus, of the story of the Grinch and the true meaning of Christmas—love is what matters. Equal rights in love, freely expressed.

So please: always remember that every vote matters. Active love is all that matters—as MLK, Jr., said, passive love is not love, not really. It’s just a Hallmark card, a cliche, weak, vacuous, vague without power. And the real, active love—that’s something that will warm us from the inside, out, and transform our world entire.

And while all this may feel obvious, it’s why Elephant dares to express active care about equal rights, about LGBTQ rights, about Ukraine, about Iran, and about our health, our yoga, our food, our travel, our family, our meditation, politics, sex, our eco habits, our voting, all of it. It’s all of it, not just one “demographic.”

I’ve seen many of my friends and influencers and web sites or accounts focus on one thing. Vegan. Politics. Equal Rights. Whatever. They’re all good. But what matters is everything. Care. Love. Wherever expressed.

You are not a demographic. You are a human.

And your heart, if you let it, will encompass multitudes, as Whitman said.