I have been aware of a feeling of despair amongst so many people, especially those who follow the news closely. (I don’t!) There are indeed a lot of senseless happenings globally, least of all having two (more) buffoons in power. Add to that the senseless murders and the way that we treat our planet, it is understandable that many people are feeling a sense of deep despair.
For many young people, the future looks bleak, not knowing what it will hold for them or their children. More and more young people feel that they cannot bring more people onto the planet, which in itself presents an existential crisis. Older people feel guilty for what they have created, and many feel a very deep sense of failure even more so those who have young children.
Where does this leave us? How do we get out of this feedback loop of doom and gloom? How do we find our way and make sense of it all? Is it even possible to make sense of this crazy world that seems to be spinning out of control? The dichotomy of connectedness versus detachment seems to be one of the possible answers. To connect to a new source or Power, whilst detaching from the constant barrage of media input. Two weekends ago I was at a function where I was ambushed by a very exuberant person telling me about their armed robbery. I felt trapped, and as her telling became faster and louder the more trapped I felt. I know this must have been a horrific experience, and I cannot begin to imagine how I would react to it. Yes, it is happening out there, and only by grace it has not happened to me. But how does one engage with it without feeling that you yourself have been robbed of something, maybe your naivety? Your ostrich patch in the sand?
It is becoming more and more dif cult to escape these conversations. Social media, mainstream media, dinner party conversations, billboards and television all blast us with the most horrific statistics of mayhem and anarchy. There is nowhere to hide. Except maybe in introspection and reflection, and in creating different connectivity within detachment.
Detachment is not about escapism necessarily. It is about carefully, mindfully deciding where to be, how to be, and what to think. Introspection of positioning oneself within a cray world, taking a stand where one can make an impact, even if only through kindness. Not taking a stand presents a kind of nihilism which is just too easy. The new order of me me me is perhaps indicative of how deep our disconnect is – whilst confusing that disconnect with detachment. I believe that to detach is a conscious effort of connecting to a different Source. It is not throwing everything to the wind and gay abandon of our covenant. To detach is to decide on a different course, a mission to find that will ultimately make sense and bring about a new way of Being-in-the-world.
This is hard work, and could sometimes feel like a lonely uphill battle against the overpowering force of the world. Maybe it is indeed that – and that instead of fighting the world we should embrace the universe in all its perfection. Again, a dichotomy of Being – how do I fight the world and embrace the universe? Perhaps through a deeper sense of the perfection of the universe, the abundance that She gifts upon us, embracing us with Her mystical nature. We need to get back to the earth, toil it, plant it, nurture it, and in return it will nurture us. We need to walk with our bare feet in the damp soil, get Her grit under our fingernails, taste the sea air in the breeze and feel that rain in our hair. For therein lies our Connection, and our strength. It is right here with us, in us, around us. A healthy detachment will secure our connection to the Source, and give us insight into our Selves. And this insight will help us to make sense.
Being in a place where Life is running out, maybe feeling detached from the world living with dementia and memory loss, does not mean that we are disconnected. I do believe so strongly that the state of Mind of the person living with dementia might just be one of Divine Connection. Again, how differently would the world treat those whose Minds have changed if they saw this state of Being as a Divine Connectedness…