We already know the ritual, the same thing has happened time and again and nothing changes.
The "song and dance", the hand-wringing and platitudes. And nothing will change.
That's not being cynical, or "realistic" or "pessimistic".
It's an observation followed by a logical conclusion.
Stoic philosphy often asks us to make light of every day situations that plague us as human beings.
How we feel, how we were hurt, how things have been unfair. Everyday, human problems.
The stoics say we choose our misery and sufferings. That we suffer as long as we decide to, and when we choose to not suffer anymore, we don't.
That's fairly powerful if you can get into the habit.
Big if, right?
Social, or community work, is fairly new in my world.
I don't purport to be some altruistic do-gooder in any sense, as much as someone doing something they are able- and most of the time "willing", to do.
So, why is it important to look at the intersection of "what you do" and "what you want to do"?
Intention and Focus sound like two parts that make up the idea of "Drive", as in ambition, direction.
And that's a good place to start when restarting something like this blog.
I went back to the start of why this blog exists. What is it for? Who is it for?
And that lead me to Seth Godin (again)...
My daily task is to write something. Anything.
I say anything, but internally I'm still telling myself it has to be "great" something.
It doesn't. The art of this is in it's doing, not it's intentions.
I'm reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and he talks about the almighty "Resistence" as the force of nature that be battle to get to the meaningful work in our lives, our purpose.
I just got finished Noam Chomsky's "Who Rules the World?" and boy what a harrowing read.
Chock-full of deep insights backed up with pages and pages of references, citations, bibliographies on the atrocities and depravity of world history under the United States, but also harking back to past empires and their crimes against humanity.
It's a lot to take in. Most of it leaving you feeling helpless in the face of it. Why helpless? Mainly because what, at my level of influence and effect, can I do to change this?
I remember this saying from many years back- growing up in rural, very white, South Canterbury will expose you to a lot of weird phrases like this.
And, from my limited understanding about the etymology of the phrase, it meant that something was going badly in a very convenient, efficient way i.e. cos a handbasket is convenient and handy etc.
I'm sitting here thinking what to write, because the exercise is just to write, and I have a bunch of random things I tend to think about, but this a lot of what I've been reading and consuming lately has to do with American political history (Who Rules the World, by Noam Chomsky) and how bad they've been to- well, pretty much the entire world- but I've also listened to Daniel Schmachtenberger on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast talking about what kind of catastrophic future we're in for, given what a bunch of dickheads our species has been to the planet and ourselves.
So, "Going to hell in a handbasket" was the thing that came to mind. And, funnily enough, not to implode and fall apart about it- what good would that do anyone? But to actually look at what's within our control to do something about, and what it might take to do that. Just because everything's on fire, doesn't mean there's not something we can do- even if what it turns out to be isn't the best we hoped for, it is what it is (at that point).
If that means playing a really solid rendition of "Songe d'Automne" as the ship's sinking, then at least we've got something to focus on.
"Historical amnesia is a dangerous phenomenon not only because it undermines moral and intellectual integrity but also because it lays the groundwork for crimes that still lie ahead." - Who Rules the World? by Noam Chomsky.
Among many other (probably more) quotable passages from the book, this one stood out to me this morning.
Probably in the same vein as "controlling the narrative", it's about the stories we tell ourselves- about ourselves, that can project or forecast what potential "good" or "evil" lies ahead.
I don't have any great insights on this other than remembering the objective facts about our past- not dwelling on them or being paralyzed by them- can help keep our moral and intellectual integrity about them.
And probably safeguard us from repeating any of our not-so-great history, into the future.
This phrase and topic can be seen in a few ways, but I think using this phrase instead of making another one up can serve to hijack whatever influence this one has for the one I'm about to write about.
I subject myself to a myriad of inputs, from newspapers, social media, blog posts and research papers to discord and slack chats, text messages from people and then talking to actual in-real-life people and getting their thoughts and opinions on all of the things as well.
I say "subject myself" because, after much thought and reflection, I've decided that this is something that I do to myself in that I allow it to happen. I have control over opening up twitter, reading an instagram post or newspaper article.
Today starts another year, and as much as I don't believe in new years resolutions (basically just plans you end up forgetting about by Feb), "making plans" and trying to see them through, is something I believe in. And the fact it just happens to coincide with the beginning of the year is more a convenience than anything.
In the spirit of Seth Godin's blog where he just writes something (every day?), I'm going to try that here also. Just write something. Every day.
I've been giving this a bit of thought- the "why" in "why do we do the things we do?"- and, as much as is humanly possible (for me), I'm going to try and do things purely for what it means to me. Difficult- yes, but not impossible and certainly won't be done perfectly. Mistakes will be made.
So, instead of new resolutions, I'm going to look at the whys.
It might work, it might not. There's only one way to find out.
“Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune’s control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.” – Seneca.