Is There Enough Trouble?

Does it seem like there is a lot of trouble everywhere? I have never seen so many folks sick, unhappy or discouraged. Is it me or has anyone else noticed this?

I have not noticed this. People of my acquaintance are generally doing well.

Yes, there is trouble out there. The whole world is sick, divided, running to extremes, out of balance. We need to re-center if we want to find health and peace.

Part of the struggle we are feeling comes from a new awareness of the roots of the problems. From Goldman-Sachs to BP, we are seeing the reality of old institutions that do not honor the earth we live on, and the self-serving practices of corporations "too big to fail." We want to think that the recession is behind us and that things are getting back to normal, but deep down we know that what was normal isn't coming back and wasn't very good for us anyway, and that the only way to move is forward, into a future we can't see clearly.

On the other hand, there is much to feel good about. That future is coming closer. It is beginning to clarify and to solidify into a vision that shows us how to develop a more hopeful world. We are learning the value of simplicity and sustainability, seeing that we don't have to think in terms of scarcity (It is a belief in scarcity that encourages frightened people to seek more power through hoarding stuff), learning to value our communities, to help each other through rough times, to feel compassion.

When I look forward rather than backward, I get the feeling that this is a very good time to be alive. I find myself learning to live in the present moment and enjoy what I have right here right now.

Just me.

Ann

Ann,

Living in the moment is great.

To me it is called living.
But among the trouble is laughter, beauty, and joy.

Everything about being a human on planet earth is a balance of opposites.

There is night and day. Hot seasons and cold seasons. Danger and peace.

Living is an amazing experience.

There is the sadness of sickness and death, but it is balanced by the miracle of new life and health.

There is the wickedness of crime, but it is balanced by generosity of charity and kindness.

There are those who become discouraged, but it is balanced by those who actively doing something to make a difference ... and succeed.

Unfortunately the media (and some are worse about it than others) has decided that pushing all the 'terrible things happening in the world' gets more views and sells more papers and magazines. There truly is a lot of good news out there, but there isn't much sensationalism and scandal in good news. So, it doesn't get as much attention.

Sure there is trouble ... but there is also a lot of good.

8/23/2010

I love watching the birds, Hummingbirds, such carefree creatures
not a worry or care in the world. Just like my cat Dusty, she has
no human problems, eats, sleeps and goes out to play. Me, I enjoy
going out and doing my photography, watching and enjoying nature
at her best. I figured there is no way I can change the world,
why get yourself upset? I remember I saw an interview Richard Burton
did years ago on Merv Griffin show, he said if he gave away all his
wealth it still won't help the problems in the world , I think he was
right , I believe man creates his own hell or heaven..


Cheers..Joe

joefrank wrote:

I saw an interview Richard Burton
did years ago on Merv Griffin show, he said if he gave away all his
wealth it still won't help the problems in the world

There's a saying that if you redistributed all the world's wealth, in five years the poor would be poor again and the rich would be rich. I think we'll see that in action with The Gates and Buffett money philanthropy. I'm curious to see what sustainable results come from it twenty years from now (put me down for "very little").

I agree about the poor--they tend to stay that way.

We have a needy member in our family--always short of money--long on bright ideas.

We are what we believe we are.

Ann

I am reminded of the story of the young girl walking with her father on the beach after the tide went out. She kept picking up starfish that were beached and throwing them back in the water. Her father worried about her. "You can't possibly throw them all back in the water, " he said. "The few you throw back will hardly make a difference."

"It will make a difference to this one," she said, throwing one more star fish into the water.

We are our brother's keeper. Yes, the poor will always be among us; but it is possible that some whose resources were previously limited but gain from charity will raise themselves up and be followed by future generations who are not poor.

I guess we all have a take on life. I think we get into trouble when we lump people into some category forgetting that each is unique. Men and women are similar, but the difference takes on another dimension. Being poor or rich is a balance of opposites as mentioned by JoElle. It is a generalization that does not define what we mean by poor or rich. Some can be considered poor financially, but rich in other ways. I believe that wealth is a state of mind just as poverty is.

Yes, we have to be grateful for our blessings, good health if you have it and loved ones. Most people are broke. With the housing market crash, people that have still got their houses are in negative equity. The poor middle class. People with no jobs or just cutting back on spending. World slow down. Will we ever get out of this?

Alj wrote "On the other hand, there is much to feel good about. That future is coming closer. It is beginning to clarify and to solidify into a vision that shows us how to develop a more hopeful world. We are learning the value of simplicity and sustainability, seeing that we don't have to think in terms of scarcity (It is a belief in scarcity that encourages frightened people to seek more power through hoarding stuff), learning to value our communities, to help each other through rough times, to feel compassion.

When I look forward rather than backward, I get the feeling that this is a very good time to be alive. I find myself learning to live in the present moment and enjoy what I have right here right now.

Just me.

Ann"

Interesting post Alj. I mean all of it, not just the above. However, I don't think it is going to become better or develop into a more hopeful world, as you believe. We all know that the economic problems won't go away for a while and that the future that is coming is more recession problems, more people out of jobs and just a bad economy. Some people may have changed from this. They have learnt a lesson. But I hope you are right that the future of a hopeful world is coming.

I try to have a hopeful vison, not to put negative thoughts into the universe; but I just think every generation is different. For some people, the coming years will be better, full of hope and promise. Technology, the elimination of major diseases, the global communications and collaboration - these point to some positive change.

For many people throughout the world, these positive changes are like a fantasy. They are still concerned about drinking water and basic sustenance. They are at the bottom of the job pool, struggling to keep a roof. For these people, upward economic mobility will be harder than ever.

So, I see the great divide growing between the happy haves and the struggling have nots. Therefore, the positive nature of the future depends where your karma has you dwelling, in the upper echelons or struggling.

Immigrants came to the U.S. from countries where that same divide was a chasm. By the 1950's, a solid middle class existed here, made up of those who stepped from the lower echelons one rung upward via small businesses, jobs, education, a strong work ethic and family values. Churches flourished.

Those days are gone. The middle class has slipped down a rung, one step above the impoverished. Home ownership, the saving grace of the middle class, is predicted as a poor investment now. You can't sell your house and retire in Florida, there's no equity.

However, change is inevitable. The human race is imperfect and self-serving. I heard it once said that even those who are compassionate and caring are self-serving. We are also adaptable. The coming generations won't remember a middle class or the civilities of a thank you letter and an evening of playing Monopoly. They won't remember a store clerk actually providing service. It's like our memory of the milkman leaving the milk on the back porch, something for nostalgia.

While we think we have a growing appreciation for the environment, that is a developed country thing...we used up our resources to get here; the undeveloped countries will also do the same. We didn't become the largest economy in the world by conserving the natural environment. We did it through progress at all costs.

We look for someone to blame for our discomfort. The person to blame is in our own psyche. In our own homes and neighborhoods we exhibit the same characteristics that make our world a less hospitable place to live. Until we find a way to change our own viewpoint, the world will continue in the direction our behavior dictates. It is not an "other" situation; we create our own future, one action at a time.

Right now we unfortunately own three houses: the cabin, the one with several floors and our one level condo with basement area for Tom. It was necessary to move for me to get around in my wheel chair. But without a purchase of our multi-level house soon, the cabin will have to go up for sale. That will be sad, but part of our decision process and my being able to get around is a great blessing for us.

Our other house is cleaned and ready for sale. We hope, but our gratitude for being able to do this is also great. We are still independent and plan to remain so. We have a used furniture store in our basement, had two cars we downsized to one and are constantly getting rid of bookcases and other furniture. My husband is very glad to help family out. We have college kids in our family and they are being blessed with bookcases and other furniture. One in great need of a car now has one.

We are downsizing to everything that is either useful or beautiful.

Carol

DK, I believe more people are waking up and realizing that massive changes have to be made. More and more people are willing to do what is needed for us to survive, not just as a nation, but as a planet.

Carol, an important part of the solution is downsizing and simplifying our lives. You and Tom are on the right track. And, BTW, I have been following your blogs, and am keeping the prayers going for you to continue recovering and feeling better. I strongly believe that you will come through, too.

Ann

Thanks Ann. I'm going to do my part, and the prayers and thoughts from others are overwhelming.

It would be good to come through this.

Carol

I'm sorry, Ann; but this time I disagree. It is only the actualized individual that can think in terms of "the planet" and "the big picture."

Actualized individuals are those whose basic needs and wants are met and there is room for their consciousness to consider a higher, less self-centered approach to life.

Only a few countries meet this criteria and those developed countries are now in an economic downturn. Just like the other phase toward conservation, ecology and saving the planet, this will also pass. If you take a survey of who is really conserving, it is those who are retiring and facing a limited income and less ostentatious lifestyle; those whose income has been reduced by the economic slump; and a few (there are always a few) who in good conscience are trying to help the planet.

In the big picture of a China as the second largest economy, that's where we need to look for evidence of a changing paradigm.

We don't need to apologize for disagreeing.

Sometimes reality is about where you look. I am seeing quite a few signs of change towards sustainability, etc, from my children's generation. I feel there is a major shift in the works, not only from them and their friends, but from people I've come to know through a couple of message boards where progressive ideas are discussed, and from books and articles I've come across. There is an excellent book by Jan Phillips, The Art of Original Thinking on the increasing number of smaller companies that are showing profits using sustainable methods.

I get what you are saying about actualization, and agree with most of what you said about current economical situations, including China, which is part of what I'm suggesting. As far as the whole financial situation is concerned, I'm guessing it will get much worse before it gets better, and I'm not saying it will turn around so much as that we will be forced to turn in a different direction. We cannot continue to support those "too big to fail" corporations.

But when we focus on the negatives, we tend to reinforce them. The paradigm is changing, and it will involve international solutions. The more we learn about these newer ideas and how they are working, the more we network and use the power of available information over a reliance on older, outmoded institutions, the better we will be able to cope with the future.

If I sounded like a Pollyanna, that was not my intention. The world is changing, and we can choose to change with it.


there is another little book you might, as an educator and administrator, know about, by Spencer Johnson, called Who Moved My Cheese, that specifically deals with the need to let go and work with changes.

Just me, and I'm not disagreeing so much as feeling a different part of that elephant.

Ann

Yes, I have done many workshops on "Who Moved My Cheese" and had great fun with it (it's on my shelf nearby). I appreciate your optimism, and I hesitate to put negative energy into this subject. I am just cynical after all the greed I see in general in spite of those who are trying valiently to make a difference.

Here is my truth: Until oil is too expensive to drive a car, oil will run the wars and the economies of those countries who have it and who need it.

Until as much profit can be made without pollution as with it, corporations worldwide will continue hiding their poisonous wastes.

Until food is as cheaply grown nearby without chemicals and hormones and pesticides and cloning, the industrial farming complex will continue killing the earth to multiply the crops and the meats in spite of killing us off with cancers and salmonella - cheap food for high profit - that's the goal.

Until plastic packaging is illegal and fined, we will continue to use it, in spite of go green bags (they've been using purses in Europe since the beginning of time - plastic and packaged foods were learned from us - a sign of prosperity). Buy a tiny little electronic component lately? So much plastic wrap you can't get into it without a saw.

Aid to other nations is important for the needy, but what about the needy in our own country?

Why do we continue to give aid to countries with Weapons of Mass Destruction? That money could be better spent in our own economy. Money spent for alternatives to our oil-driven economy is worthwhile. Providing incentives for small business, the grassroots of our economy, is worthwhile. As long as we maintain the mentality that only big business can supply jobs, big business will continue to keep us in bondage.

Here in the Central Texas area, we have at least one group of farmers who have combined their efforts to provide the communities nearby with local products that are produced humanely, without toxins, hormones, or antibiotics. They are delivered to homes directly. The price is on the high side, but could drop as more people learn about them and start to use them.

I'm seeing more and more people in the supermarkets who bring their own bags (me included).

We need to do more to get the word out that these alternatives are available. Any change at this point is going to come from grassroots influence and campaigns. There are things we can do to help.

Ann