For episode eight of the Real Love Podcast Series, Sharon talks with Congressman Tim Ryan about love in the political landscape.
Tim Ryan currently serves in the U.S. Congress representing Ohio’s 13th District. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. Aside from his leadership in the political arena, Tim is a tremendous advocate for mindfulness and author of the book “A Mindful Nation”. Sharon and Tim discuss the importance and practice of real love in such critical and polarizing times in American and global politics, as well as the value of quiet time and interdependence in the community.
Tim Ryan serves in the U.S. Congress representing Ohio’s 13th District. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 and was sworn in on January 3, 2003. Successfully reelected seven times, he is now serving his eighth term. Congressman Ryan has been re-elected seven times and currently serves as a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and as co-chairman of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus.
The Real Love Podcast Series is a special series on the Metta Hour featuring a variety of conversations with some of the world’s finest thinkers and teachers exploring Sharon’s new book “Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection“. Real Love a field guide for anyone seeking awakened living in the 21st century – regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity or status. The book explores love is three different arena in life: love of oneself, love of an other, and love for all of life. Real Love is now available for order in hardcover, ebook and audio book formats.
Show Notes
The Shift (Opening) – Sharon and Tim discuss the mindfulness revolution that we are in at the moment, and the impact it is having on society.
“I think right now instead of going outward the movement to go inward and to understand ourselves more is going to be dramatic in a lot of ways.” – Tim Ryan
Love in Community (8:30) – Tim shares how he has been trying to re-integrate love into his work with his community. He reminisces about the strong sense of community we have lost over the generations.
“If you don’t care about and love each other at some deeper level, it’s just not going to work. We had that sense of community coming out of World War Two. It was almost seared into their minds bodies and souls that we are in this thing together.” – Tim Ryan
Connecting Through Compassion (12:30) – More than ever we as a society are disconnected from one another. Tim and Sharon discuss this disconnection and the role that mediation can play in the political and civil discourse.
“Just listen to each other. It is ok for someone to have a different opinion of things than you have, and you just may learn from that person. You may not be in complete agreement, but they may help you look at something different.” – Tim Ryan
Taking the Practice into the World (18:30) – Tim and Sharon talk about taking our meditation practice off of the meditation cushion and into the world.
“It’s not about the practice, so much as it is taking the practice off of the cushion and into the world.” – Tim Ryan
Find Tim Ryan online and on Twitter. Check out Tim’s last conversation with Sharon here.