Dear Sophie,I'm not typically a depressed sort of person, but the state of world politics is seriously harshing my mellow. Are we completely freakin' out? Is this the end of the world as we know it? What's the answer?
Truly Terminally-Bewildered
Dear Truly,
Yeah, I guess we are sort of totally freaking out. I mean, it's unfathomable to me that in this day and time, we are still capable of the level of man's inhumanity to man that we rationalize and justify every day for what appears to me to be nothing more than corporate greed. Not to mention the level of cruelty inflicted every day on innocent men, women, children, animals. What are we thinking after all?
In terms of reconciling that into a pill I can swallow every morning on my way out to work, there are tools but no real cure. I listen to a lot of music. A LOT of music. I tap into the great outdoors that surrounds us and that always gives me perspective. Outdoors, I am reminded that man has been around with bare essentials (sunshine, water, vegetation) for gazillions of years and that, as John Popper sings, "it won't mean a thing in a hundred years." It grounds me back to seeing the absurdity and grace of each day.
I indulge my senses and I avoid violence in the media except for what slips through the news. I turn the news off sometimes, but I always remember to turn it back on. As depressing as the news can be, it is the reality of All That Is that keeps me grounded and grateful.
Finally, I think that you need a delicate balance of alone and not alone times. Don't distract yourself from your healing by keeping meaningless relationships afloat, but also don't isolate yourself from those you know you can love and trust safely. Take love where you can get it and don't try to analyze every thing that happens. Sometimes good things happen for no reason and sometimes bad things happen for no reason.
My single most valuable piece of advice for today: There's not always someone to blame.
Love,
Sophie
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