I appreciate this post. Thank you for making a run at such complex issues from the perspective of a healer. I’m looking forward to reading more from you.
So many thoughts, as usual. Firstly--although I can't find who said it first, I associate it with our friend, Dave--"It's ok if you don't save the world, if you just save one person, if it's yourself."
Also, one of the saddest things I've learned about parenting is that one of the key processes of growing up is learning to numb yourself to the world. When my daughter was little, she'd notice every time an airplane went by overhead. We'd be on the playground and she'd suddenly stop and look up and point at something that the grownups had just tuned out. We'd agree yes, it was an airplane, yes, it was amazing...and then we'd redirect her to whatever she had been doing. Or when she stubbed her toe, or banged her knee, we'd sympathize, but quickly help her to move on. Because as an adult, we whack ourselves all the time--I've seen estimates that we experience pain a dozen or more times every day--and most of the time we barely notice. As the Princess Bride teaches us, "Life is pain...anyone who says differently is selling something." Numbness is necessary, but it's also important to maintain an ability to notice the world in all its pain and beauty, or else what are we alive for?!
I do a bunch of small things, mostly impacting only my immediate community, if that. But I know that what I do has made a difference to people, sometimes in pretty big ways that I had no idea of at the time. And I know that when I do my small part in community, it is leveraged to be something bigger. So that's what I keep doing. Like you keep writing. So thanks for that!
Excellent post, as usual. The dominoe effect from all that’s in it would have an astounding effect should we all make the choice to actually work with it. Hard work, yes. Results? Yes. Thanks. Welcome back. Glad you took a breather. They’re important.
I appreciate this post. Thank you for making a run at such complex issues from the perspective of a healer. I’m looking forward to reading more from you.
So many thoughts, as usual. Firstly--although I can't find who said it first, I associate it with our friend, Dave--"It's ok if you don't save the world, if you just save one person, if it's yourself."
Also, one of the saddest things I've learned about parenting is that one of the key processes of growing up is learning to numb yourself to the world. When my daughter was little, she'd notice every time an airplane went by overhead. We'd be on the playground and she'd suddenly stop and look up and point at something that the grownups had just tuned out. We'd agree yes, it was an airplane, yes, it was amazing...and then we'd redirect her to whatever she had been doing. Or when she stubbed her toe, or banged her knee, we'd sympathize, but quickly help her to move on. Because as an adult, we whack ourselves all the time--I've seen estimates that we experience pain a dozen or more times every day--and most of the time we barely notice. As the Princess Bride teaches us, "Life is pain...anyone who says differently is selling something." Numbness is necessary, but it's also important to maintain an ability to notice the world in all its pain and beauty, or else what are we alive for?!
I do a bunch of small things, mostly impacting only my immediate community, if that. But I know that what I do has made a difference to people, sometimes in pretty big ways that I had no idea of at the time. And I know that when I do my small part in community, it is leveraged to be something bigger. So that's what I keep doing. Like you keep writing. So thanks for that!
Excellent post, as usual. The dominoe effect from all that’s in it would have an astounding effect should we all make the choice to actually work with it. Hard work, yes. Results? Yes. Thanks. Welcome back. Glad you took a breather. They’re important.