COVID optimistm
Color me rosy. I think we'll be better off going thru this global pandemic than before. Not the clean air, not the lower fossil fuel use, not the open roads - no, my optimism is grounded in our psyche.
The only good thing that Freud every said (in my limited opinion) is that people will do anything to distract themselves from being by themselves: they'll go shopping, to the theater, to a concert - anything but being alone with ourselves.
Cuz then we have to deal with our internal demons, our disappointments, our ... everything that is us: our own mental health.
This morning I was standing in line at the grocery store and noticed the person in front of me frantically looking around at every product display within eye sight. And then i looked at other people in line, and there were quite a few people also glancing around. I had that urge too - did I forget something? is there something else I need to buy? And it dawned on me that my ego based neural networks that have been programmed by consumerism, also had this urge.
So maybe, just maybe; by being forced to shelter in place and many being alone in that, we will finally deal with ourselves in ways we have never done before. And I think that's a really good thing!
For the first time in our lifetime we have an opportunity to face ourselves in all our internal nakedness. What do we want out of life, is it going good? are we doing what we really want to do? If not, why not? And how do we change that... and then maybe, just maybe we'll realize there's no better time to reset our life's direction than right now - admist this lockdown. I mean, what better time is there to reinvent ourselves than when all of society is reinventing ourselves?
I find it FANTASTIC that essential workers are health care, farmers, food supply chains, grocers, etc. No where has there been any mention of lawyers, accountants, and heaven help us all - politicians!
I speak a bit from experience. I first exiled myself at WinSol around 2000... getting away from our dreadmill. Then I transitioned to having friends, helpers, woofers, etc at WinSol. and then I went thru an advanced beyond-mid-life-crisis looking at WinSol as a retreat - a forest sanctuary for myself, and I hit my sweet spot - and life has been the best, richest and most fulfilling every. Granted I would like to find my tribe, i would like more of this, less of that and all the other stuff we always distract about, but overall I am very content. And i wish for all beings to be content - to find their inner sanctuary.
We have all been forced off a dreadmill of our own making, and this is one of the best times to reassess if and how we want to remount that dreadmill.
As Joanna Macy in her 'work that reconnects' and 'the great turning' states - the very first step is self-love, self-gratitude. To get out of the numbness of modern life, to reinvent our inner self with real inner love and compassion for ourselves so that we can begin to have gratitude and compassion for others. Maybe this is a great turning allowing us to do that, if only we will walk through that door.
The only good thing that Freud every said (in my limited opinion) is that people will do anything to distract themselves from being by themselves: they'll go shopping, to the theater, to a concert - anything but being alone with ourselves.
Cuz then we have to deal with our internal demons, our disappointments, our ... everything that is us: our own mental health.
This morning I was standing in line at the grocery store and noticed the person in front of me frantically looking around at every product display within eye sight. And then i looked at other people in line, and there were quite a few people also glancing around. I had that urge too - did I forget something? is there something else I need to buy? And it dawned on me that my ego based neural networks that have been programmed by consumerism, also had this urge.
So maybe, just maybe; by being forced to shelter in place and many being alone in that, we will finally deal with ourselves in ways we have never done before. And I think that's a really good thing!
For the first time in our lifetime we have an opportunity to face ourselves in all our internal nakedness. What do we want out of life, is it going good? are we doing what we really want to do? If not, why not? And how do we change that... and then maybe, just maybe we'll realize there's no better time to reset our life's direction than right now - admist this lockdown. I mean, what better time is there to reinvent ourselves than when all of society is reinventing ourselves?
I find it FANTASTIC that essential workers are health care, farmers, food supply chains, grocers, etc. No where has there been any mention of lawyers, accountants, and heaven help us all - politicians!
I speak a bit from experience. I first exiled myself at WinSol around 2000... getting away from our dreadmill. Then I transitioned to having friends, helpers, woofers, etc at WinSol. and then I went thru an advanced beyond-mid-life-crisis looking at WinSol as a retreat - a forest sanctuary for myself, and I hit my sweet spot - and life has been the best, richest and most fulfilling every. Granted I would like to find my tribe, i would like more of this, less of that and all the other stuff we always distract about, but overall I am very content. And i wish for all beings to be content - to find their inner sanctuary.
We have all been forced off a dreadmill of our own making, and this is one of the best times to reassess if and how we want to remount that dreadmill.
As Joanna Macy in her 'work that reconnects' and 'the great turning' states - the very first step is self-love, self-gratitude. To get out of the numbness of modern life, to reinvent our inner self with real inner love and compassion for ourselves so that we can begin to have gratitude and compassion for others. Maybe this is a great turning allowing us to do that, if only we will walk through that door.
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