In doing some interesting reading and then noting what I’m seeing in our world – It feels that our world is unraveling a bit. There are a multitude of things going on at the same time, some of them tragic, some of them unseen in the past and thus a little hard to wrap our heads around. The natural world also seems to be going through changes – for anyone who is paying any attention at all to various scientific papers to recent conferences on the climate and just plain looking out your window (if it’s not frozen shut as the East Coast of USA experienced a bunch this year) – the climate is changing. Then, there’s the political/media circus of giving the Tea Party movement a lot of time and attention = cacophony in the political and social sphere.
All that said, and more. So, what to do when overloaded with stimuli – there are many reactions that people have. Some clam up, hide. Some pretend that nothing different is going on. Then there are some who are speaking about the change – and many who have been speaking about it for a while – Bill McKibbon comes to mind. But other authors, like James Kunstler, Richard Heinberg – these folks are tracking the change and writing about it.
But what I might suggest is for us not to forget ourselves. Our strengths. What we each bring to the world – and not let the strong winds of change push us around too much, make us lost. That would be unfair. It’s unfair to you because this is your life, and it should be as sweet, powerful and wonderful as you wish it to be. And, it’s not fair to the rest of us and future generations – for a large group of us to sleepwalk through this next period of time – the next chapter in our lives.
So, learn to dance with the change – learn to see the signs of something changing and instead of “holy shit!” your mantra could be “how interesting?” or “hmm, how will I dance with this in my life?”
This is also a good time to remember to take the best care of yourself that you can – physically and emotionally. Take your vitamins, get plenty of sleep, move that body, and make sure to stay connected to people. Your friends. Your Neighbors. Your Family. and new friends. If I’ve learned one thing at Burning Man lo these past 10 years, it’s that friends and close connection is key in life. Also, the ability to make new friends quickly is an art and can be learned. Start by introducing yourself.
Albert Kaufman
3/29/10
Portland, Oregon
Related: 8.31.18 – A More Or Less Definitive Guide To Showing Up For Friends
And, Ben Bochner’s song – Hold on Strong!
There is evidence for your idea that many of us are “sleepwalking.” So many of us are taking anti-depressants, or depressing ourselves further with alcohol! We see that things aren’t right, feel powerless to change them, and the cognitive dissonance that knowledge produces creates discomfort from which we wish escape. During the final years of my nine-year marriage, when I got really honest with myself, it seemed that the known discomfort of my situation was somehow preferable to moving toward the Unknown. (I got really depressed toward the end as I tried to hide from myself that the end had to come.) If that idea can be generalized into one of humanity’s tendencies it is no wonder we are sleepwalking at this moment in time.