Liberation
image by Tu-2
The flowers are in bloom, the skies are grey, and the temperature sits again at 61 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Thursday.
Trouble brewing in the world, trouble brewing in this community. The collective awareness of the conditions humanity faces throughout the world: doubt. Deep doubt about what we are witnessing in connection with the amount of human suffering.
The planet has been suffering for quite some time. Humans have almost always suffered, but the scale of this has grown so much that it takes the breath away. What is most disappointing is to hear that there are so many that can rationalize the pain and suffering being created. In times of trauma, individuals sometimes have the ability to escape into a different mental and emotional reality - they simply leave the body and whatever is happening that is harmful, happens. The spirit moves into another dimension.
This is for survival.
And sometimes, the body is tormented to the point where it dies; hopefully, that spirit stays in a new realm and goes on to infinity. That there is such great doubt means there is also great faith. The faith is the path to great determination to keep hope and love and kindness alive. This is where we are - at the intersection of deep doubt and unmovable faith in ourselves as humanity.
The common question people are asking is, "What can I do?" and the answers are myriad but boil down to this: do what you do each day, live into your goodness and faith that the unknown is really an opportunity. That opportunity is to allow the imagination to find ways to help heal and liberate the collective spirit in what you do best. Make music (without lyrics), create spaces where people can enter into a rhythm of life through dance, drums, and movement (getting away from youtube videos and television screens), cook a meal that nourishes the body. And if food is scarce - share whatever you have because if it's scarce for you, it's scarce for others.
Of course, if you live in a war zone. The options are different. Survival of human beings in the worst of conditions, still means opportunities for humanity to be expressed. Helping to find food, rescuing people who are stuck in rubble, helping to bury the dead in a way that is respectful of what that life once meant. The skills that are needed may be different - doctors, interpreters, documentary filmmakers, and cooks who know how to make meals out of virtually nothing/everything.
We are living in times when the liberation is not just that of the body, but also of the spirit and soul. Some truly believe that by harming others, there is a path to be found to make this world a better place. For them, we can pray that they one day wake up and see that it is their very soul that is disintegrating; and that true liberation from whatever the fear may be, feels very different.