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June 28, 2024

When comments tell Elephant to “Stay in our Lane.”

Comments sadden me when they tell Elephant not to post about politics.

That happened again last night, and again this morning, when I covered the Biden-Trump debate.

We’ve been around for 23 years.

We cover life—“the mindful life.” All of it.

We are not escapism.

Back in the day, we put the right to marriage on our cover—“before it was cool,” before civil unions and then gay marriage were passed—and nearly lost our distribution doing so, at the time.

We talk about climate crisis, because…it’s a crisis, for us, for animals, for our planet.

We talk about addiction and homelessness, inequality and activism, animal rights and abortion.

We do so with peace in mind, not self-righteousness. We try to be frank, and maintain our sense of humor about ourselves.

To those who tell us to stick to inspiring Rumi quotes I say: you don’t seem to know what Elephant is about. You can’t tell us to stay in our lane when you don’t seem to know what our lane(s) is.

We’re about living a good life that happens to be good for others, and our planet. We’re a big tent: if you want to write in about your love for guns, you’re more than welcome to do so if it’s earnestly and thoughtfully done.

If you are truly patriotic, wherever you live, you know that nonviolent, loving dissent and activism is vital. We are one nation, all of us. We are a world, all together. We must remember to disagree agreeably.

So: I say to you, dear mindful lifers…if you expect Elephant to make you happy, we will disappoint you. Life is happy. It’s also heartbreaking. We cover all of it. We are here to speak truth: and sometimes the truth means meaningful dialogue, not sexy yoga poses on the beach.

“I’m gonna lay my sword and shield, down by the riverside…ain’t gonna study war no more.”

Yours in the Vision of Enlightened Society,

Waylon

 

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