It’s so hard to write these days. It’s not that there isn’t anything to write about… On the contrary, there is plenty. But it’s so hard to get into a good frame of mind for writing, and I am finding it very hard to decide what might be helpful in a time like this.
Years ago, someone wrote a question on Facebook. I certainly don’t remember the details, but the gist was clear: Is there hope for humanity? Are we ever going to figure it out? Or will we just destroy ourselves?
It seems to me that we are failing miserably. I’m sure that many people can have different explanations for this, but the reason for me is actually extremely clear:
There is too much anger in this world, AND
We are not good enough at seeing anger in ourselves; we only see it clearly when it is in other people.
Even if we can acknowledge anger in ourselves, we find ways to justify it - while easily criticizing it in other people. Wouldn’t you agree that that is what you see around you these days? Lots of anger? But what do you see in yourself? And truly, what can you do about it?
Anyone with a healthy mind who is now reading these words - your mind should at this point be working on ways to believe that this doesn’t apply to you. That’s not a flaw; that’s just the way all our minds work. For the human mind, anger is a “keep off” sign. Few people see that it is also a mound of earth, that beneath it conceals a buried treasure.
The Black Plague was one of the most devastating events in the history of humanity. It was one of the few times when the human population actually declined. But it was also the turning point for some of the most consequential lessons we ever learned as a species: The Renaissance came out of it; modern science came out of it; personal liberation came out of it, and with that came collective liberation. In all that pain, there were lessons.
The beauty of crises is that, no matter how much they hurt, they tend to end off better than they started if you can be courageous through them. The willingness to see something you haven’t seen before is often the difference between staying stuck, and moving on. The catch is that for us, the lesson hasn't come yet; but it can, if we play our cards well.
I am going to post links to some past blog articles of mine, that I think would be relevant at a time like this. Here is the first one, if you care to read it.
Wishing everyone much courage, and much love.
Photo by Marek Piwnicki, Pexels.com