In this special mini-episode, Dr. Larry Ward shares his reflections on the 2024 US election through the lens of the teachings and practices offered in Beyond the News.

The aspiration of this podcast series is to help people develop the skillful means to respond thoughtfully, rather than react impulsively, to what we see and hear in the news. As the US election approaches, Dr. Ward invites us to revisit the episodes to discover practices that help us stay safe, grounded, and intentional in our actions, both online and in-person, over the coming days and weeks.

As Larry shares, "Every election by its nature brings possibility, anxiety, and hope. This is true for society to ever grow in the improvement of itself for its citizens....Our heads matter, yes they do. Logic matters, yes it does. But neither matters as much as our hearts, because the heart can go further and see wider than the mind can ever imagine.”

BONUS: This episode ends with a new poem from Larry, A Message to the Ego That Wants to Rule the World.

Support the show

Beyond the News is made possible through the generous support from Hemera Foundation and the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation. You can help us continue our podcast offerings by giving to thelotusinstitute.org/donate. Your generosity is a gift that supports our programs and events, and the Lotus Institute's global community of friends like you. In gratitude.

Self-knowledge is about understanding and opening to the potential that is rising to the surface of your life. In the series finale, Dr. Larry Ward outlines the key takeaways from the past 9 episodes, while sharing a few personal stories and poetic wisdoms along the way.

For Dr. Ward, Beyond the News was a journey of discovery and an invitation to learn to listen to our bodies and minds as we listen to the world through the news. The stories and events in each episode served as a vehicle for a larger teaching: as humans, for us to find resiliency and joy in challenging times, we must change our way of seeing and looking at things.
 
Quotes:

• “Our thinking flows like a river. To master your potential is to understand how you think.”
• “We have within us the potential of all humanity.”
• “If millions of us each make a small change, we can make a huge difference. Do not let yourself be confined by your fears for the world.”
  
  

Beyond the News is made possible through the generous support from Hemera Foundation and the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation. You can help us continue our podcast offerings by giving to thelotusinstitute.org/donate. Your generosity is a gift that supports our programs and events, and the Lotus Institute's global community of friends like you. In gratitude.

What role does fear play in defining the limits of your heart and mind?

Our fears, be they related to abandonment, powerlessness or environmental and social crises, can block us from realizing our true potential. They set boundaries to the capacity of our hearts and minds to be creative and free. Doom scrolling and consuming too much distressing news only serves to amplify these fears and anxieties.

In this episode, Dr. Ward outlines the steps we can take to begin moving from fear to freedom. The first step is to develop an awareness of our fears and how they define not our physical limitations, but our inner limits. By understanding how to respond to these fears, we can transform our relationship with them, and begin to overcome the narratives and thought patterns that impede our evolution.

“When you let go of hanging on to your fear, you let go of the limits that are blocking you and you gain a better understanding of what you are here on this planet to help with.”
—Dr. Larry Ward

Practices to go deeper:
Journal about your life and your relationship to the news and current events by using these prompts:

• What are your current fears, and how do they block you?
• How do you stand in the way of the purpose and meaning of your precious life?
• What stories or habits are keeping you from your next adventure?
• What is your mantra for this moment in your life? 

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Beyond the News is made possible through the generous support from Hemera Foundation and the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation. You can help us continue our podcast offerings by giving to thelotusinstitute.org/donate. Your generosity is a gift that supports our programs and events, and the Lotus Institute's global community of friends like you. In gratitude.