A Politics of Love

By: Marianne Williamson

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this stirring call to arms, the activist, spiritual leader, and New York Times best-selling author of the classic Return to Love confronts the cancerous politics of fear and divisiveness threatening the US today, urging all spiritually aware Americans to return to - and act out of - our deepest value: love.

America’s story is one of great social achievement. From the abolitionists who fought to outlaw slavery, to the suffragettes who championed women’s right to vote, to the civil rights proponents who battled segregation and institutionalized white supremacy, to the proponents of the women’s movement and gay rights seeking equality for all, citizens for generations have risen up to fulfill the promise of our nation. Over the course of America’s history, these activists have both embodied and enacted the nation’s deepest values.

Today, America is once again is in turmoil. A spiritual cancer of fear threatens to undo the progress we have achieved. Discord and hatred are dissolving our communal bonds and undermining the spirit of social responsibility - the duty we feel toward one another. In this powerful spiritual manifesto, Marianne Williamson offers a tonic for this cultural malignancy. She urges us to imitate the heroes of our past and live out our deepest spiritual commitment: where some have sown hatred, let us now sow love.

Williamson argues that we must do more than respond to external political issues. We must address the deeper, internal causes that have led to this current dysfunction. We need a new, whole-person politics of love that stems not just from the head but from the heart, not just from intellectual understanding but from a genuine affection for one another. By committing to love, we will make a meaningful contribution to the joyful, fierce, and disruptive energies that are rising at this critical point in time. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "we must think anew, and act anew...and then we shall save our country".

©2019 Marianne Williamson (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Changed how I view politics

I have always liked Marianne Williamson but never thought of how spirituality could align with politics completely. Everything she says in here makes sense including the answer to, “How are we going to pay for that?” I think there is value to reading every political candidate’s book, if they have one, because voters can learn what the candidate believes in and what their real vision for our country is, beyond the sound bites. Even if you don’t want to support Marianne as a candidate, her book might change the way you view politics and the candidates, and remind you of how much better things can be.

Every American needs to read this.

Every American with a brain and a soul (aka every American) should read this book. It's time to get our hearts and heads into the political field and realign with what it truly means to be an American. Marianne brilliantly breaks it down and shows us how to engage with the current political environment in order to bring about the fundamental changes that we desperately need.

Absolutely Inspiring!

I could not stop listening to this audio. In the most balanced, practical, humane and unapologetically poweful way, Marianne makes a case for a sleeping yet imperfectly perfect America to reawaken to its core value of love and responsibility for our country, children, the planet and all of humanity. She points out that all major movements that actually mattered and benefited the greatest amount of people started from this point.

Marianne's view of love is not one of touchy felly platitudes but one of deep reflection, courage, strength, vulnerability, and the willingness to give one's entire being to an idea bigger that one's immediate personal concerns alone.

She invites the spiritual to emerge from the veiled apathy of being other-worldly-focused alone and act. She invites the materialist to look beyond the external and go within to discover a Reality that connects us all. I highly recommend this book to anyone ready to take enlightened action in the world and is seeking a perspective that is simply not available in the well worn coversations of disgust, blame, separation, revenge or victimization.

Time for politics to Evolve

It's time for politics to evolve, for all of us to stop playing with the same old deck of cards that has us flailing an axe at the branches rather than getting to the root of any issue, and Marianne has re~minded Us of the simple Key:
Love. This book is a piece for transformation in politics and life in general! Well articulated and a highly suggested read!

A MUST READ! Save Our Lives from an inevitable end

Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson has the actual answers that we are looking for in these seemingly apocalyptic times.
Change our world. How? The answers are really in this book. Really!!!

political reinspiration!

amazingly thoughtful linking together spiritual love and care for suffering and humanity with the inspiration to be engaged in social issues, with a great discussion of history and our most important social political concerns

Marianne is my hero!

I think this should be recommended reading for all Americans regardless of political party. She is a humanitarian over everything. If you are human and you have a heart you need to read this book. She has such a great way of connecting to all types of people. People who are more strongly to the right might dismiss her because she definitely has left leaning views but be patient and really listen. She has some things to say that are truly Universal truths and such a poignant social commentary on what is happening in American politics today. An absolute must read.

some insightful concept but epetitive and preachy

I like many of the overall concepts, but it felt preachy and repetitive. This book could have been one fourth as long. And the author used the word "should" like it was going of style.

Beautiful

Yes.... I'm inspired to be a stand for love and be in action foro democracy.

CAN OUR POLITICS CHANGE?

So much disagreement, almost nobody seems happy with the status quo, even Trump supporting Republicans. The system is not working for many, including those who work hard and follow the rules. Many do not participate in our democracy at all. If we want things to change, we must participate and open our minds to different ideas and voices, regardless of where they come from. I’m an independent and not yet endorsing a candidate for the 2020 elections. Not for President, not for any other office. I have started to read about and listen to as many candidates as possible, study the issues, really consider who would best represent me, my family, my community, our country. One of the candidates who I’ve been reading about / listening to is Marianne Williamson. Marianne’s bio describes her as a lecturer, activist and author. She has devoted most of her adult life to advocating for others and sharing her tremendous insight through her books, videos, lectures. I have read many of Marianne’s books and find her work incredibly insightful (see “A Return to Love” and “Healing the Soul of America”). She has a tremendous understanding of this country’s history, its mistakes (yes, we make mistakes!) and ideas about how we can heal as a nation. In Marianne’s latest book, “A Politics of Love”, she addresses the current divisiveness in our politics and prescribes a new way forward. Marianne has a unique perspective on our challenges as a nation and she has garnered sufficient support to be eligible for the Dem debate stage. But even if the Dems don’t tweak the rules to knock out lesser known candidates like Marianne, it will be difficult to have her voice heard amongst so many. I encourage you to take a look for yourself. Marianne is willing to talk about things most will not (eg, reparations relating to slavery). I believe most of us are interested to hear new voices and to get the best ideas on the table. There are many people and forces in this country that seek to prevent this from happening, those that want to maintain the status quo or even turn back the clock. Marianne has progressive views on healthcare, racial reconciliation, climate change and foreign policy. She believes that love, not hate, is what will truly change our politics. That we need to prioritize taking care of those less fortunate and wage peace instead of war (she has proposed new federal agencies devoted to peace and children). While these concepts may sound quaint or even strange today, they are not radical ideas. Historic figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Dwight Eisenhower talked about waging peace. And business titans like Bill Gates and Ray Dalio have said the current situation with wealth inequality and an insufficient social safety net are not sustainable. Marianne has been a champion of these ideas for decades and is now aiming to bring them more firmly into the national dialogue. Marianne’s views / ideas will resonate with many but not all. But if we put aside our preconceived notions about how things are and instead focus on what could be, we will see our current challenges in a new light. If we all participate and focus on what’s important to us, our families and communities, we can restore our democracy and contribute to the common good. We can’t expect things to get better if we follow the same old play book.

Such an important message

I wasnt the biggest fan of the narrator, but Williamson writes absolute truth. It is essential that we rememeber that a country is more than money, but has a soul, and the whole of it represents how we, as individuals, develope it.