Earlier this month i attended a wonderful course focused on training 3rd eye perception. It was fabulous to have an entire weekend dedicated to energy work and honing my skills. Yet, as we left, one of the co-leaders made a remark that stopped me in my ethereal elevation. She said that the world has changed a lot and is not a safe place anymore. Immediately i thought of early humans who were hunted by large animals. I thought of the times of witch hunts and the inquisition. I thought of diseases such as the plague that wiped out entire cities. I thought of the many wars people have been waging throughout the ages. Were those times when the world was a safer place? I wouldn’t think so.
Still, I can appreciate the sense of overwhelm and helplessness caused by environmental degradation, heightened by power games and money interests that threaten to destroy our environment even more. I can appreciate that the landscape of political deception with its distortions of truth generates frustration. I can also appreciate the sense of overwhelm caused by the constant demands on most of us and how small the ledge of security is that we have to rely on. What happens if we cannot work anymore and our savings are gone? I can appreciate the sense of overwhelm and fear that is generated subtly and indirectly by the poverty and violence surrounding us, visible when we venture to use public transportation at odd hours or drive by the improvised camps under the freeway in Oakland—when we are confronted with those who have fallen through the cracks of this society.
But what is the solution here? Is it to avoid looking? Is it to wall ourselves in and not leave the cocoon for as long as we can help it? Is it to live in isolation with your computer and phone as your sole platforms of social interaction and leave the outer physical world to the bullies? To me, that is a scary world as well. Disengaging from the physical and withdrawing to live on Facebook cannot be the solution.
Don’t get me wrong, i love Facebook. It helps me connect with many people and it disperses news at a speed that is impressive. Yet, when looking at all the nicely curated posts of happy moments and wonderful achievements year in and year out, where does it leave you if you haven’t experienced similar happy moments and amazing accomplishments? It leaves you feeling less than. It makes you feel worthless and undesirable. It amplifies your isolation.
Yes, i too feel the frustration and overwhelm and fear engendered by modern life in the US and i sympathize with everyone who is burdened by it. But i also see the shiny virtual world as a trap when it is juxtaposed to the rough and dirty world of physical interactions and presented as safe. It’s not necessarily safe. It can lead to depression and even to suicide. Withdrawal into private seclusion is understandable but it is not a solution. Instead of letting our heads hang, i suggest that we claim what is ours: this world, this life. The world is as scary as we make it, or allow others to make it. Let’s claim it.
What can you do to claim your life more fully?
© Eva Ruland, October 2016
sfsoulspa 
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