Yesterday Twitter was moved to post that one word.
At time of my screen shot here, 75k people had sighed, “Yes” with their Like button.
How funny they felt the need to advise millions of humans to do what comes naturally.
I guess because, like everyone who’s not in a coma, they could sense all the breath being held all around the world.
Fury and fear are running very high, and climbing.
Though the soaring rise in anxiety, in panic attacks, in terror, and in the oh-look-your-back-teeth-fillings-are-showing rage may perhaps be more than a few deep breaths will be able to ease.
It's not that this is new, particularly. It’s just increasingly intense right now.
First because we adorable humans have likes, dislikes, and preferences.
Which alone is no big deal. I mean, there’s no way around it, despite all the spiritual advice to not have desires. We still want what we want, even when we’re told not to.
So clearly the current world froth is more than just having the preferences.
No, we think our preferences matter. Humans really think what we want is important.
Which means we not only want what we like, we insist what we like is the right way.
There’s a right political system, a right financial condition, a right health situation, a right level of spiritual attainment.
There’s definitely a right way to live.
I don’t think anyone has told existence this, however.
I mean, we may think we are owed a political win, a good unhurting life, money. We may think we are owed non-virus breath, or heartbeat, or life itself.
But it turns out, actually, as far as life is concerned, nothing is promised, nothing is owed us.
Nothing.
Which is not exactly a stress-free position.
Y’know, for us.
And then, barreling right along, once there’s a preferred and necessary outcome, human action must be taken, to ensure that’s what happens.
Time to get busy being responsible, being proactive, manifesting outcomes, making things move and shake.
Time to obsess about the news, raise fists to the sky or other people, get out the vote. Time to talk endlessly with loved ones to convince them of the right outcome, to gather like minds around us, to cut off people with different likes.
Time to attempt to influence politics, climate, global money, our own money, and of course health, immune systems and length of life.
Oh yes, humans adore the idea that we control things. Big things, little things, every things.
Free will, power of positive thinking, visualizing. Empowerment, baby.
Though this is where fear and anger and despair may start to climb into hyper-ventilation territory.
Because despite the absolute and obvious certainty of thought saying, “I must make xyz happen”,
we actually don’t know how to do existence’s job.
There may be a right way to breathe but breath happens the way it wants and only if it wants, anyway. There’s a right way to vote but that US election is going to go its own way, regardless. There's a right way to combat a virus or to know there is no virus or to dance in the streets virus-free, but whatever it is we believe, it still does its own thing.
What Is doesn’t seem to know, or give a hoot about, our human beliefs and rules for life.
Which makes outcomes completely out of our hands. Making life and results whatever they end up being, whether we like them or not.
Which leaves every one of us, ultimately, to wait, in order to see what happens.
Even Donald Trump, supposedly a person with enormous power in the world, has to wait to see what happens next.
Just like the rest of us.
Every day, every minute, humans experience our own impotence, our powerlessness.
Which of course, we hate.
And find terrifying and infuriating. We turn into one big walking tantrum: NOOOOOOO! DONT LIKE THIS!
And yet regardless, still- Powerless.
Only.
That is What Is.
We can foam at the mouth about it and say it is wrong and curse and worry about futures.
We can continue to rage against the machine.
And it is still What Is.
So I wonder what might happen if we noticed that yes, we do have preferences and a desire for certain outcomes,
and also noticed that every outcome is out of our hands, regardless.
Maybe we can do what we can- vote, march, converse and advocate-
And also step back and allow existence to drive.
Not because that’s the right way.
And certainly not because there's any choice in the matter.
But just because it feels better.
Y'know, to us.
All that anxiety and fury might just go poof.
Not fighting What Is might be an enormous relief.
Surrendering to the absolute power of existence might simply feel better.
And then... Trump wins or he doesn’t. Civil war happens or not. The virus continues to be a thing or not. Economic prosperity happens or not.
Life still does as it prefers.
We wait. We watch. We take the passenger seat.
And amazingly, when we’re not clenched up with helpless doing,
perhaps just like everything else,
calming breaths,
and maybe even action,
come,
on their own.
Ahhh.
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