“For things to reveal themselves to us,
we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Do you question why governments across the world at the beginning of 2020 suddenly began working cooperatively in ways never seen before, mostly adopting isolation and medical methods (like masks) that were not an imperative in previous pandemics? I struggle with such thoughts – but I don’t have to assume cooperation may be a power game.
Why would trillions be spent on Covid-19 to save a few million lives when the same leaders have not implemented strategies to address bigger issues such as global warming which threaten all humanity, and could be implemented for roughly the same effort and cost? Sometimes I get overwhelmed with trying to do the job of others, and find it hard to let go of the fact I have no control over such issues.
If you are unable to see the obvious threat of global warming, perhaps you may ask why the same resources were not allocated to existing known causes of death that kill more each year, such as
- Ischaemic heart disease (coronary artery disease)
- Stroke. …
- Lower respiratory infections. …
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) …
- Lung cancer, trachea and bronchus. …
- Diabetes. …
In the same way, at times such thoughts take on the responsibilities that we all share. I would do better to ensure I am living healthily and preventing these social health issues happening in my own body.
Or ask why did the US president ignore Covid-19 as a significant threat when it could take more lives than any war the US has been involved in?
If you, like me, find yourself blaming others for stupidity or ignorance, what good does that do? It focuses on negative facts, rather than taking responsibility for my own prevention actions in a pandemic.
Such questions and facts are depressing if interpreted as static bad news. But if we look at the opportunities to view the same realities in a different light there is hope for positive human development.
“Things are the way they are for a reason. To change something, it helps to know that reason. If that reason is complex (and it frequently is), success at truly understanding and changing it is unlikely, and developing workarounds and adapting to it is probably a better strategy. Complex systems evolve to self-sustain and resist reform until they finally collapse.”
(This quote, and others in this post are by Dave Pollard and are excerpts from “Pollard’s Laws and XR”)
“It is not inconceivable that power and law could radically shift, and the next few decades become a universal all-hands-on global battle to mitigate centuries of destruction.”
“In nature, everything is connected, and there are a trillion moving parts that evolve to keep the system in balance.”
“Until the advent of civilization and its technologies (agriculture, settlement, language etc), human women almost never had children more frequently than once every four years (breast-feeding is nature’s premier contraceptive). This meant that lugging the babies around until they could walk wasn’t an ordeal for nomadic pre-civ cultures; there’d only be one per family at a time. This is the kind of elegant balance a billion years of evolution enables, as long as there is a connection, a recognition of the a-part-hood and inter-dependence of all life on Earth. “
The application of hope “means relearning how to live in community, and relearning the skills needed to survive in low-tech, relocalized, massively migratory and highly-collaborative societies (which includes a ton of ‘soft’ skills like consensus-building along with the technical skills like mending clothes and growing food, and does not include ‘skills’ like hoarding and killing).”
That is not something that is done by governments or societies – it is what each of us is responsible for in our daily life.
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congregation. However the death of both her mother and her daughter led her to look for a different level of connection to what she gained from her weekend religious activities. Through LISN membership Annabel found inspiration from others who have had similar losses, and who were nearby.
Ethelia is lonely, new to her new village, and with specific spiritual interests which could be called ‘mystic’. Her country does not permit views contrary to the national religion. Ethelia longs for people to explore questions and inspiration with, and finds LISN.
anyone else knowing what they are. He likes that.
He joined LISN and then discovered he can also upload his entire cohort of parishioners as users, so that they are part of the membership of LISN, but specifically assigned to his care group.
He had recently found a number of small groups existed that he did not know about. His attempts to get people to let him know had not worked, probably because things were constantly changing and there was no online method for people to update their own connections.
She looked online and found lots of offerings but no indication if they would match what she was looking for. By registering and defining membership with LISN she was able to define her own spiritual expectations in a fun way, and in doing so the list of local Spiritual Directors was somehow narrowed down to those who matched her needs and style. She loved not having to research a whole lot of options and found it easy to choose one that works well with her spirit.
LISN also has mapping and organizational support for small groups, circles, councils. LISN can link a person to spiritual circles or groups who are local or in a vicinity of interest.
