Remember when…
2023 memory
The day opened mixed. Some blue, a few clouds, cool. The temperature is 50 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Saturday.
About a year ago, the goal was to write five hundred words a day, just to dump whatever was on the brain and try to stay connected to a thing called “reality”. That thing seems to be shifting a lot these days.
Remembering a time when using the phrase, “…the reality is…” and following with whatever might have been the subject (or opinion in the moment) and now thinking about the words brings a chuckle. Maybe it should bring a deep sigh. There seems to be no reality and this is becoming more clear by the day.
Today there are multiple realities, probably none of which are anything but the filtered conclusions of whatever identity, politics, social circle you belong to. And belonging to something seems essential - as a matter of survival in today’s world. As one who is not inclined to be a pessimist, the happenings of the moment are creating a desire to remember when things were very different. Parents could send kids to school and even let them walk a mile, without worry. People could go to places of worship without bomb threats or detonations occuring. Neighbors actually knew the names of the family members next door or across the street.
Everything was not perfect. There were lots of problems with human interactions, reactions, and suspicions. But, there was realitve clarity about things and you could navigate the road blocks . There were ways to get things done when the barriers were clear - and some of those “ways” were going to take generations, but the initiators knew that survival demanded some sacrifice — and those were understood and accepted for the sake of a better future.
Today - we are returning to taking the survival and to ensure that thriving will not end - by finding new ways. Those will be unseen, unspoken, unheard by the ones who are tone deaf and adhere to the belief that the world would be better off if run like a well-oiled machine.
But there’s a problem with that thinking: humanity is not a machine.
However systems created by human beings are like machines and when there is a need for repair, or there is apparent obsolescence, those machines break down. Systems today - all of the ones that human beings intended to be used to serve humanity in all its glory and shortcomings - are breaking down. And this is going to be hard, but probably necessary for the complete demise to happen. Hold on.
Remembering when the energy was about building, reaching across divides, bridging gaps so human being could be better equipped to deepen understanding of why differences exist, care for children who were clearly the future, generosity was extended to strangers with a possibility of new friendships, kindness was seen as a wisdom practice. Things change.
It is important to remember when we saw change as an opportunity, not as a foregone conclusion or something scary. It is important to remember the saying about a human beings who think of themselves as better or more in control of things that happen in life: “Because one HAS much, doesn’t mean one IS much.” We need to remember that today.
And then, we proceed.