In response to yesterday's blog about everything being fake news, I got a message from a person who I respect. This person said, "This isn't helping. Please never forward any of these to me again on this service."
"This isn't helping."
Wow.
What IS helping? I honestly don't have the answers.
What I know:
If you feed the beast, it will grow.
What beast do we want to feed?
I don't have answers, but I have questions:
By not feeding the beast, will it die and go away?
By choosing a side, are we helping?
I'm not really an expert on much. I'm just a person working it out here on planet paradise with everyone else. Tell me what will help. Is there a universal salve that will help?
I've thought about this, and in the current climate, I will most likely continue to explore the parts of me that are marching, polarizing, separating. The parts of me that don't want to hear what the other side is saying. The parts of me that want it to be my way or the highway. The parts of me that just want things to be easy "again." Whatever that means in the present. Cuz from where I sit now, there's not a lot of present moment in any of those statements.
So what helps? I don't know if I have a universal answer. Clearly, as pointed out to me by my friend. What I choose to do is keep testing the teachings and see how they hold up. Keep testing the teachings and see how I hold up. Testing, not because I want to find fault, but because I seek Truth. Truth that is not about politics, opinions, circumstances. Truth that is timeless. As Pandit Rajmani Tigunait of the Himalayan Institute says (paraphrasing), "History and politics rise and fall. Focus on the teachings that are timeless." (he said it way more eloquently than that paraphrase).
So no matter what side I find myself on, I'm still moving towards the center. And doing what I need to do in the present so I don't wake up with regret. So onward we march, hopefully listening to our internal Beat. Our internal Voice of Truth. And if we can't hear it, we keep marching until we can.
And person I respect, if you get this, no disrespect intended. Thank you for your response. It actually did help. And feel free to block me or delete me from Google+.
"This isn't helping."
Wow.
What IS helping? I honestly don't have the answers.
What I know:
If you feed the beast, it will grow.
What beast do we want to feed?
I don't have answers, but I have questions:
By not feeding the beast, will it die and go away?
By choosing a side, are we helping?
I'm not really an expert on much. I'm just a person working it out here on planet paradise with everyone else. Tell me what will help. Is there a universal salve that will help?
I've thought about this, and in the current climate, I will most likely continue to explore the parts of me that are marching, polarizing, separating. The parts of me that don't want to hear what the other side is saying. The parts of me that want it to be my way or the highway. The parts of me that just want things to be easy "again." Whatever that means in the present. Cuz from where I sit now, there's not a lot of present moment in any of those statements.
So what helps? I don't know if I have a universal answer. Clearly, as pointed out to me by my friend. What I choose to do is keep testing the teachings and see how they hold up. Keep testing the teachings and see how I hold up. Testing, not because I want to find fault, but because I seek Truth. Truth that is not about politics, opinions, circumstances. Truth that is timeless. As Pandit Rajmani Tigunait of the Himalayan Institute says (paraphrasing), "History and politics rise and fall. Focus on the teachings that are timeless." (he said it way more eloquently than that paraphrase).
So no matter what side I find myself on, I'm still moving towards the center. And doing what I need to do in the present so I don't wake up with regret. So onward we march, hopefully listening to our internal Beat. Our internal Voice of Truth. And if we can't hear it, we keep marching until we can.
And person I respect, if you get this, no disrespect intended. Thank you for your response. It actually did help. And feel free to block me or delete me from Google+.
Thanks, thIS helps ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHi Jean. Really beautiful thoughts here. I can offer one thought, though you probably already are involved: find an activist group aligned with something you feel is important and support them through volunteerism or financially. Also, call or write your Congressional rep's and let them know when they've done something you like and agree with or did something that you don't agree with. They WILL hear you. Namaste!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike! And I was actually working on a blog that talked about letting our congress-people know when we like what they are doing as well as letting them know what we don't like! I'm so glad I don't have to say it! Was it all that yoga back in the day? LOL! Thrive on! Namaste. Jean
ReplyDelete