Have you ever wondered if spirituality and politics ever could or should mix? In this episode, you will hear directly from LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin on the matter in a historically defining moment. Two weeks ago, a secretly recorded conversation about redistricting, made international headlines, which included racial slurs about Bonin’s adopted son. "I knew it [the recording] was a lot bigger than my son. It was dripping with ugly, deliberate, anti-black racism," Bonin said.
“I’ve had a couple different things that have really shaped my perspective on public service and shaped my spirituality. The thing that I get from the experience of getting sober 27 years ago, is that I have absolute, just unequivocal faith, that profound change is possible - in people, in the city, even in our broken politics, I have seen myself transform from someone unrecognizable, to where I am today. I have seen people that society has written off, just transform themselves into model parents, people I look up to. My sobriety has been a big part of my spiritual journey.”
- Councilmember Mike Bonin on The Modern Spirituality Show
“What I love so much about your political legacy is that you read as one of the people that really tried and really made a difference for a lot of people. You made a difference in actual individual people's lives.”
- Author Ben Decker to Councilmember Mike Bonin on The Modern Spirituality Show
Big thanks to our sponsor Open for bringing you this episode. Open is a mindfulness app built to transform your life. Experience the power of combining breathwork, meditation, sound, and movement to strengthen your mind-body connection. Practice with the best teachers in the world – anywhere, anytime. You can experience Open for 30 days free with Ben Decker’s promo code DECKERVIP, or claim here: http://withopen.com/deckervip
Learn more about Mike Bonin here:
Representing Westside neighborhoods on the City Council since 2013, Mike has been a leader in taking on LA’s toughest challenges, unafraid to advocate for bold, transformative solutions on homelessness, affordable housing, climate change, transportation, and public safety. An accomplished advocate for his district, Mike has been a champion of neighborhoods, a force for smart, responsive government, and a progressive problem solver.
Listen to Mike Bonin’s What’s Next Los Angeles:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-next-los-angeles-with-mike-bonin/id1538289887
Mike Bonin’s website:
https://11thdistrict.com/about-mike/
Follow Mike on Instagram:
https://instagram.com/mikebonin?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Hoffman Institute:
Deepen Your Meditation Practice with Books by Ben Decker:
https://www.amazon.com/Benjamin-W-Decker/e/B07C9WKP8J
Work with Ben Decker:
https://bendeckermeditation.com/
Watch episodes on Youtube:
Contact The Modern Spirituality Show:
Host/Executive Producer:
Ben Decker
Twitter.com/BenDecker
Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker
BenDecker@ModernSpiritualityPodcast.com
Producer:
Ansley Weller
Ansley@ModernSpiritualityPodcast.com