I could not agree more whole heartedly with every fiber of being. Such words deserve contemplation in everyone’s heart for that is the place of which we find true loving direction forward.
Sending an abundant amount of love your way. To you and yours.
Ro, it is such a pleasure to read and ponder your offerings. They are funny, insightful, helpful, humble and always thought- provoking. I give them so time to ping pong around my noggin before finding the words. But even that isn’t the end. After I have hit send,a treat. I read everyone’s comments. So beautifully written, beautifully lived. Thank you for your writing and bringing together this space.
I have been thinking about Now too. Even before the latest unjust death that has shook our souls, I had my own quake. A long time friend w stage 4 inoperable cancer. She was fine on Thursday and when I saw her next on Monday she was another being, terrified animal trapped in an extensional corner.
I have danced w death and I am here because of a saving throw. I knew I would probably die but I had hope. To see someone up close without it is unmooring, whether your friend or a stranger crying for his mother. As fate had it I was also reading Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng about children being taken as a form of political control. Taking away hope. Stealing the future, breaking connection.
For my friend Now had changed very little only the connection to the future. Yet everyone, not just her, was gut punched by the harsh truth. Thursday as we were talking about the weekend she was dying but so am I and you and every living thing. In that Now we were shaken awake and can see the truth, at least some of it.
After letting my soft animal recover from the blow, I was still left to reconcile that the universe that created my son’s smile also created cancer and broken men with guns. How can both things be true, how can I be happy when others have a boot to their throats?
I don’t have the answer. But no one does when they are doing something for the first time. Now is perpetually the first time. So I am leaning heavily on my practices and all my simple pleasures of Now.
That is not to say I am giving up on making this world a better place. I just refuse to barter my Now for a future that cannot exist.
Oh man, this is truly something I think about A LOT.
What are the things the future generations are going to look at see about us?
Where will they look at our lack of understanding, our lack of technology, our lack of awareness and see what WE see when we look at things like blood-letting and electric shock therapy?
I truly hope that we are moving together towards a truly compassionate view of ourselves.
I hope that we're starting to wake up to the inhumane systems of capitalism that have pitted us against one another, that have created this constant need to divide, this constant need for us all to feel unworthy and lacking - so that the people at the top can continue to profit off of exploitation while we sit around and blame ourselves.
I hope that we're starting to wake to the idea that we are all working with histories and traumas - that we didn't all just arrive in adulthood with perfect perspectives, capacities and access and then just 'decided' to be self sabotaging/addicted/'bad' in some way.
I hope we're coming to see that it's through cooperation that we actually find the only kind of security that's actually available on this planet - not perfect security, but good enough.
I hope we're learning to have a deeper relationship with the existential so we can stop projecting our fear of it onto everyone and everything around us.
I hope that this is a tipping point we're all walking through together. I do hope that we are going to be able to see the shifts taking place - that must take place - if we're going to survive our own teen-age rebellion from ourselves.
We are all experiencing what this is in such a different way - together. And it's through joining those perspectives that we're going to have a clearer view of what's happening, why it's happening and how we can work together to create something that actually works for all of us.
The fact that we aren't the same, I hope, will be our saving grace. If we can let it be.
Loved this.
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for”
I could not agree more whole heartedly with every fiber of being. Such words deserve contemplation in everyone’s heart for that is the place of which we find true loving direction forward.
Sending an abundant amount of love your way. To you and yours.
With kindness,
Rae
Ro, it is such a pleasure to read and ponder your offerings. They are funny, insightful, helpful, humble and always thought- provoking. I give them so time to ping pong around my noggin before finding the words. But even that isn’t the end. After I have hit send,a treat. I read everyone’s comments. So beautifully written, beautifully lived. Thank you for your writing and bringing together this space.
I have been thinking about Now too. Even before the latest unjust death that has shook our souls, I had my own quake. A long time friend w stage 4 inoperable cancer. She was fine on Thursday and when I saw her next on Monday she was another being, terrified animal trapped in an extensional corner.
I have danced w death and I am here because of a saving throw. I knew I would probably die but I had hope. To see someone up close without it is unmooring, whether your friend or a stranger crying for his mother. As fate had it I was also reading Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng about children being taken as a form of political control. Taking away hope. Stealing the future, breaking connection.
For my friend Now had changed very little only the connection to the future. Yet everyone, not just her, was gut punched by the harsh truth. Thursday as we were talking about the weekend she was dying but so am I and you and every living thing. In that Now we were shaken awake and can see the truth, at least some of it.
After letting my soft animal recover from the blow, I was still left to reconcile that the universe that created my son’s smile also created cancer and broken men with guns. How can both things be true, how can I be happy when others have a boot to their throats?
I don’t have the answer. But no one does when they are doing something for the first time. Now is perpetually the first time. So I am leaning heavily on my practices and all my simple pleasures of Now.
That is not to say I am giving up on making this world a better place. I just refuse to barter my Now for a future that cannot exist.
I want to frame that final paragraph, Tracy. You always put things so beautifully. Thank you for this <3
Thank you again, Rowan. Your writing helps me make sense and stand still to look around.
Oh man, this is truly something I think about A LOT.
What are the things the future generations are going to look at see about us?
Where will they look at our lack of understanding, our lack of technology, our lack of awareness and see what WE see when we look at things like blood-letting and electric shock therapy?
I truly hope that we are moving together towards a truly compassionate view of ourselves.
I hope that we're starting to wake up to the inhumane systems of capitalism that have pitted us against one another, that have created this constant need to divide, this constant need for us all to feel unworthy and lacking - so that the people at the top can continue to profit off of exploitation while we sit around and blame ourselves.
I hope that we're starting to wake to the idea that we are all working with histories and traumas - that we didn't all just arrive in adulthood with perfect perspectives, capacities and access and then just 'decided' to be self sabotaging/addicted/'bad' in some way.
I hope we're coming to see that it's through cooperation that we actually find the only kind of security that's actually available on this planet - not perfect security, but good enough.
I hope we're learning to have a deeper relationship with the existential so we can stop projecting our fear of it onto everyone and everything around us.
I hope that this is a tipping point we're all walking through together. I do hope that we are going to be able to see the shifts taking place - that must take place - if we're going to survive our own teen-age rebellion from ourselves.
We are all experiencing what this is in such a different way - together. And it's through joining those perspectives that we're going to have a clearer view of what's happening, why it's happening and how we can work together to create something that actually works for all of us.
The fact that we aren't the same, I hope, will be our saving grace. If we can let it be.
Until then, happy to be here with you all too.
<3
An honour to connect and share a moment in time :)