Dear Friend,
The worst of the flu has past. Limbs are aching, My head has a hot buzzy feeling and my tonsils are at last back in what feels like the correct position in my throat.
Whenever we are ill, or cold, wet or hungry or generally in physical discomfort, it’s natural for the human mind to veer towards the negative. It’s a survival tactic. When we feel vulnerable we’re more about protecting what we have, and that’s okay for a while.
It’s just not sustainable over the long term to live in fear, worry and doubt.
There is so much fear in the stream of current events. Dominant voices, stern faced, backed by dramatic graphics and sound effects. Reports on human rights abuse failing to mention the huge amounts of wealth being created from the pain and misery of the innocent.
Narcissists and psychopaths in positions of power in crumbling institutions.
And yet, here we are.
Connecting.
Something meaningful.
Human interaction.
Contemplating peace.
Power within.
Media is a distorted mirror. It amplifies ignorance and evil to the point of overwhelm. A major function is to cow populations into conformity under the guise of informing us. This is the way the world is. Stay at home. Be afraid. Look to your own. Stay behind locked doors. Look at this screen.
What happens when we disobey?
At my local community centre, people come together to cook, grow food, sew, cycle, learn new languages. There’s yoga and dance classes and art groups.
The generations mix. Share stories.
Human stuff. Connection. Action.
One time I bumped into a young guy from a dog charity, he told me about a programme he was running with young offenders. The young people were learning how to look after abandoned dogs. For some young people it was the first time they’d ever felt needed by another living being. The re-offending rate for participants in the scheme?
Zero.
When we connect we come more into our humanity.
And then to take action.
Call a friend.
Go out into nature.
Volunteer.
Stretch the body.
Read something nourishing.
Cook something fresh. In February, a simple soup.
When my Dad died, and me and Chaira got home after a long and exhausting drive, our neighbours knocked on the door with a hot meal they’d prepared for us.
Left overs they called it.
There are no small gestures when it comes down to it.
We are social creatures. We need one another.
Antidotes to fear. Connection and heart centred action.
We cannot have peace through the creation of enemies.
It comes through loving kindness.
If you are having a difficult time search your mind for the kindest thought available to you. Follow that thread.
Everything will be alright in the end.
If it’s not alright now.
It’s not the end.
Till tomorrow
Love
Mikey
Thanks for this one. 🙏🏼 Reminds me of a line from recent Star Trek that sometimes all we have to do is reach out for another person. That can be enough. Reaching out for human connection.