How now?
I admit to feeling that the onslaught of bad news and bad choices being made are creating overwhelming challenges to our current quality of life. How's that for a so-called inspirational teacher? And yet, I also continually see the push-back and creative solutions pouring forth--it's just that those solutions seem to be drowned out by the constantly-generated problems. So how now? How do we not only cope with this mudslide of bad news, but also thrive in the midst of it?
Great question. And not one I have a simple answer for, I'm afraid. And that, my friends, is why compassion is so necessary right now. Compassion is a "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it." (Miriam Webster dictionary). It is not taking on the distress: that falls under the definition of empathy. Rather, its an awareness of the distress and bad stuff, with the accompanying desire to do something to alleviate it.
Over many years, I have made an effort to alleviate what and who I have compassion for or about by either direct action--if there is something I can do to mitigate or solve the problem, or by using my awareness of energy fields to send prayers of relief and compassion to those affected.
The latter helps me to cope and keep engaged in life in a few ways:
1. Rather than feeling helpless and useless, I know my prayers help. This I take on faith as well as evidence of the power of directed prayer.
2. Unless your prayer has an agenda other than sending love and compassion, it can't hurt, and it might help.
3. I know that prayers shine a light into the darkness, and that can go a long way in counterbalancing that darkness.
So do rituals of healing: light a candle and pray. Bang on a drum and pray. Or go to a hilltop or mountain top like the one pictured here, and beam out prayers of love, compassion, wellness and joy.
Take good care, Elke