How do we keep our hopes up when much of human nature and even mother nature seems to have the power to raise our fear of death and lower our ability to thrive on this planet? Which part of all the current situations could have a different scenario if we were all working together for a healthier and more peaceful planet? And which part of that sounds naive and even impossible? We might only have the bandwidth to ensure that ourselves and maybe our family, friends and pets are ok. And that’s a wonderful space to maintain! That will preserve what we’ve got and it’s a good place to move forward from. But how much can anyone manage when stress upon stress attacks relentlessly?
My friend Scott works in the medical profession and has shared how he is being sent to help his team in Sacramento and Roseville for unvaccinated patients who are fighting for their lives against the Delta variant. This isn’t just a matter our own choices for our life, but our choices impact the well-being of others. Add natural disasters, effects from climate change and terrorism and we see that our firefighters, healthcare workers, construction workers, soldiers and many others being pushed to their limits. We are experiencing humanitarian crises with some beyond our scope and others within our scope that are tiring and darkening our world. When do we make it through to the other side that history has shown is inevitable…and will return again.
When we are in pain or are suffering, we might make poor decisions or at the least, we might make decisions based on our own survival. That’s how our nervous system is designed which has enabled our human race to survive this long. Our sympathetic nervous system becomes signaled and we do whatever we need to do to save ourselves. Some are naturally drawn to save others first, some are motivated to save their own life first whether for selfish reasons, or in order to have the selfless reason of being able to save others. In any event, throughout history, we have seen that there is a great desire to preserve human life and we do have the capacity to care for and help one another regardless of similarities or differences. That strength is one of hope that I lean on for inspiration at times like these. And we are seeing some incredible acts of this sort with many helping across the globe.
What I think is most difficult to recognize, is that the moment we are living in, is certainly similar to many we’ve been through before, but also a first for many of us alive today. Have we been exactly here before in our own lifetime? Have we dealt with a long-standing pandemic and global crisis of climate change like this before? Have we experienced widespread abuse of power that includes radical misinformation in order to manipulate and divide our own country and as a global family? The world has experienced all of this, but have we personally lived through these and therefore built wisdom around dealing with them? Or are we using the logic from a previous operating system and aren’t able to do an update on the reality of 2021?
There are many who are unable to be vaccinated for health reasons. I know through clients, students and friends that many people cannot get vaccinated due to suppressed immune systems or other serious life-threatening reasons why a vaccine shot would be unsafe. To be of support to those who aren’t able to get vaccinated, those who can get vaccinated would help increase the odds of those who may unknowingly spread the virus and help prevent further variants of the virus. It used to feel like a race to herd immunity, but now it’s more of a race to stop further mutations that move quickly through communities.
Here’s some new insight on why the herd immunity concept is being rephrased:
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/herd-immunity
What can we do? Where are we being indulgent whether with water use, food consumption, material accumulation, misinformation and attachments? Where are we not sharing and helping those who would benefit from a small portion of what we have? How can we create a calming of our nervous system so that we can stimulate clearer thinking and truly recognize what we need to do for oneself and others? Some part of our body goes into autopilot when in an unexpected situation. But we have the ability to build a practice of shifting into our parasympathetic nervous system which can allow the mind to function with higher perspective and clearer vision. It can allow us to have a more expansive view versus the fight, flight or freeze option that the sympathetic nervous system provides.
Mindfulness practices are scientifically proven to shift us away from high alert and towards higher thinking. But they also require time and practice in order to train our system to recognize the power we have to move from constant stress into feeling safe and grounded. THIS is the way towards preservation of our species. And maybe the more we recognize the good feelings we get from promoting a safer world, the more that will be attractive to our nervous system versus the rush we get from living a life of conquering, killing and dominating.
Links to dive more into the science of meditation and mindfulness:
“Floor loading” a C-17 American cargo plane with over 600 Afgan refugees fleeing from Afghanistan:
Climate change proving to create a desperate situation for the Colorado River:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58248634
A passage from Jack Kornfield:
The bodhisattva’s path is a striking contrast with the excessive individualism of our culture. Every wisdom tradition tells us that human meaning and happiness cannot be found in isolation but comes about through generosity, love, and understanding. The bodhisattva, knowing this, appears in a thousand forms, from scientist, to teacher, activist or nurse, from a caring grandmother to an engaged global citizen. Meditators often recite the bodhisattva vows when they sit, offering the benefit of their practice for the sake of others: “Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to bring liberation to us all.” Like the ancient Hippocratic oath, the vow to serve the sick taken by every physician, the bodhisattva vows to serve the welfare of all. In a more poetic fashion, the Dalai Lama regularly recites bodhisattva vows based on the words of the beloved sixth-century sage Shantideva:
May I be a guard for those who need protection
A guide for those on the path
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood
May I be a lamp in the darkness
A resting place for the weary
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened.
You can create your own Bodhisattva vow. Sit quietly for a time. Let your body and mind be at rest. Then, ask your heart, “If I were to make a vow, to set the compass of my heart, to give voice to my highest intention, what would it be?” And then listen for an answer. It need not be a poem. It might be as simple as “I vow to protect those in danger” or “I vow to be kind.” Your heart will instruct you.
-https://jackkornfield.com/the-bodhisattvas-path/
Let’s stay connected,
Marc
