As we rounded the corner into November, I returned to old habits of online activity after a month of digital detox. Plugged into the media vortex again, I resumed consuming. It left me feeling unwell, with intense headaches, unable to sleep.
I immediately fell into a rabbit hole of misinformation, memes, propaganda and truly terrifying first-person updates livestreaming from Gaza. And under many threads, I saw a level of vitriol far more vicious than any I’ve ever seen before.
When I say that we need to divest our energy from the profit machinery of war and death, I don’t just mean the military industrial complex. I also mean divesting from social media – from The Algorithm, which foments fear and hatred. The sick fact is that fear and hatred are engaging, and therefore profitable for platforms of extraction that trade on our attention and energy.
A friend posted recently about the state of overwhelm and freeze that many are in right now. For those outside the crisis zone of immediate physical danger, there is a damaging mental and emotional health crisis that’s growing.
I see a widespread moral panic, flavored with helplessness and topped with a heaping serving of guilt. What sources can I trust? What story should I believe? What am I supposed to do? Can I do anything? Am I doing enough?
And many, in desperation to help, are unwittingly making things worse: by fiercely guarding beliefs and policing disagreement. The unfortunate thing is that when we hold onto a fixed notion of correctness, whether political or spiritual correctness, we leave ourselves prone and vulnerable to attacks of shaming.
People are doing many different things now – to contribute, or merely to cope. And no matter what we do, we are likely to hear that we should do things differently. There’s really no way to “get it right”. And this atmosphere of constant correction is draining our vitality. It’s difficult to do anything useful when we are frozen.
Maybe grieving privately doesn’t make you spineless. Maybe it means quietly tending to the transmutation of a personal portion-size of heavy energies. Maybe withdrawal from the public eye is a strategy for centering. Maybe silence slows the progress of despair as it tightens its chokehold on the throat of humanity.
Maybe speaking up for a “side” and engaging in politics doesn’t make you un-spiritual. Maybe it means you have a divine assignment to lead us in a better direction amidst the revelation of centuries-old evils. Maybe your sacred rage enables you to face the darkness that few are ready to see, while holding fast to the light it obscures.
Maybe cherishing your aliveness doesn’t make you blind to your privilege. Maybe it means you are actively resisting the dark forces that desecrate the sacredness of life. Maybe you are a lighthouse for a revolution waged in simple pleasures. Maybe it is an act of pure bravery now to persist in experiencing joy and creating beauty.
Maybe stepping away from the incessant livestream of horrors that are happening doesn’t make you cold or indifferent to human suffering. Maybe it means loving yourself and caring for your own needs. Maybe it means taking responsibility for your emotional health. Maybe it is wisdom to protect your sensitivity and steward your precious energy.
Maybe doubling down on your purpose work doesn’t make you opportunistic or self-serving. Maybe it means being committed to doing your part and knowing where your energy is most fruitfully applied. Maybe it means listening deeply and following your inner guidance. Maybe it is most aligned for you to focus on world building.
The tendency to focus externally – trying to control others and dictate their reality – is a natural human thing. And, it can be a diversion from digesting our own grief.
Hidden within us is a microcosm of the macrocosm that we see playing out on the global big screen. We may not realize it, but when we judge others, we feed the roots of supremacy. ‘My way is better than your way.’ It’s a short slippery slope from there into the valley of ‘My life is more valuable than your life.’
There’s no universally correct course of action. There’s no one right path that fits all. We each have designated roles to play in what’s unfolding.
I see many lightworkers who have been catalyzed into activism by recent events – and this is truly the aligned right place for them. Yet many are being pulled into social media wars simply because it’s trending. For those others, it might prove to be a futile attempt to feel in control of something that is ultimately out of control.
Whether we’re broadcasting views to those already in vehement agreement with us, or engaging in circular arguments with those who will never be convinced – both are equally fruitless. If consuming news of atrocities daily is not galvanizing us into aligned action in the real world, then it might not be the best use of energy.
The thing is, no one can tell what your aligned path is from outside. For accuracy in determination, we need to develop our inner sight. Are we on the right path? Or are we distracted and too depleted to do the real work that needs us?
We need to take our power back. For our own personal well-being, as well as for the collective health of humanity. It doesn’t make you a good person to be glued to screen of a real-life horror movie. And on the flip side, it doesn’t make you a bad person to reclaim and redirect your energy. Nothing that we hold dear can flourish when the directors behind the big screen are holding our attention captive.
When we are unwell, we fan the flames of hell fire within our families, our circles, and our communities. It’s when we are feeling the most helpless that we’re most likely to lash out and cause harm. And it’s when we are feeling the most powerless that we’re most likely to abuse whatever power we have.
Please give yourself permission to be well. Let yourself rest in your own embrace of total self-acceptance. Dare to love and approve of yourself, whatever you’re doing or not doing. It is enough. It is perfect. It is needed.
Let us tend to our inner spaces with care, so we don’t perpetuate the hate and blame that is circulating. May we cause no harm, and thus be the seed of peace.
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