When I think about all the violence and eruptions all over the world, I hear my brain say, “a world gone mad.” I then stop to wonder if this is how people felt during the world wars, Vietnam, slavery and so many other occurrences. What’s different today is the immediate and constant access to what’s going wrong. We don’t have the same widespread reporting about what’s going well in life. I find I have to seek out those sources such as The Optimist and other positive forms of media or spiritual resources.
In my morning meditation and prayers, I feel and send vibes for peace. When I dance, I feel connected to good energy. When I’m with my children and grandchildren, I’m in a happy mode. When my husband and I share travels and other nurturing experiences and adventures, I feel up beat. When I’m using my creativity, I’m in the flow.
I also notice that within myself at times, I have my own “world gone mad.” More often then I would like I’m reactive to things going on around me. I get annoyed by late workmen, lots of noise, or people not communicating; I allow those things to disrupt my sense of well-being. I’m able to catch myself and practice mindfulness after the fact. I want to be better about not getting so bothered, to take the peacefulness off the cushion, so to speak, into my life more fully.
I’m not interested in ignoring the news totally as some of my friends choose to do in order to stay feeling good. I’m too concerned and an activist for that. Yet, I have cut back on how much I listen to or read about world events. I find I do better without the visuals so I rarely watch news on TV. I prefer to listen to the radio or read about it. I also find that I use upsetting events for some important purposes; I maintain a perspective on my own life when I hear about the suffering of others; I consider the news a prayer request where I can hold and send out positive vibes; I can decide to take action by donating or volunteering where I can.
I look within myself and the outer world to consider how I want to behave and where I want to put my energy. This is what I mean by inner and outer excavation.
What about you? What are your thoughts on “a world gone mad?”
inneranthropologist 