Swami Swaroopananda has been running workshops about life management - they have been on FB so I've not seen any of them. But I know this teacher well. I can hear his voice and feel the essence of his words. The workshops have been advertised on Instagram with such graphics as this one.
The words here caught my attention. This has been a week of personal frustrations and I needed the reminder that even when it seems that things are going 'down the pan', or obstacles are springing up from nowhere, that somehow or other something else will come in place of the original goal. Or the goal may be attained, but with the bonus of new learning, skill or benefit.
Then one looks wider, beyond the personal. There have been so many failures at the national level in most countries in response to the current pandemic. It can be quite depressing, looking at the current leadership of many of those countries, and hard to find anything positive coming out of their failures. The only opportunity such governments seek almost certainly doesn't favour the lesser individuals whose care they are supposed to be overseeing.
We, as those individuals, must now fully assess what we hope to improve out of the mess of our various lockdown scenarios and bring this forward through the tools provided to us for bearing influence. Writing to our MPs, councils, finding relevant petitions, supporting those with stronger voices than our own... taking the opportunity to improve ourselves through helping to improve society. For it has not gone unnoticed, has it, that at ground-level society has managed itself surprisingly well. Of course, there are sections who have thought only of themselves. There have been instances of greed and hatred. Mankind is mankind and that will not change.
The change will come from an increased balance of thinking, caring individuals prepared to voice their concerns and take opportunities to show, as well as tell.
Yes, this comes down, once more, to that adage of being that which you would have others be. Despite the noise and collateral damage of the pandemic, the world as a whole has relished the quietude which has come. The cleaner air. The increased awareness of how one individual can impact endless numbers of others.
There is an opportunity for much more positivity to arise out of all the current negativity. If all individuals come together as one... (...sigh, I know... the big 'if'...)
Dear Yam, I often do not read your Sunday talks, because the words become hard to follow, and then make a response. I did want to see about opportunity hidden in failure; I am familiar with every opportunity presenting opportunity to fail. How tricky all the words become, eh?
ReplyDeleteAt the end of your argument, though, I know this answer. The big "if"...I love you for believing. I wish I did.
There is plenty of opportunity. But I won't every say it easy or hard.
ReplyDeleteOn a basic level I never think of failure as such. If I take the wrong turn somewhere, it might show me a better view or (as has happened as well) a very tricky road to master. I always came out the other end, so perhaps it was a failure to some, but to me they never were. It has always taught me something.
ReplyDeleteFor me the only failure is not doing something because of greed or feelings of superiority. And those immediately turn into scary failures, as they impact so many people.
Big klem
Hari OM
DeleteThat captures the essence of this phrase perfectly, Mara! For me, failure is this, the giving in and thinking there is no alternative! Yxx
I think we've seen a lot of horror, many governments have failed. I think Canada learned from SARS, and we were prepared and had a plan. We've learned, certainly, and I hope there will be improvements to long-term care. I wrote about it in my book, but had little press.
ReplyDeleteI've found a lot of wonderful stories about restaurants donating food, people helping one another. Senior food deliveries.
Now, I can say that, as I'm not looking for work, or food or rent money. We realize how good a shape we are in. I keep going back to prior failures and having to let that go. My estranged son, mistakes both professional and personal. I have to banish the thoughts or I'll sink.
Hari OM
DeleteIt is one of the quirks of the human psyche that we tend to retain the negative much more readily than the positive. May well be a vestige of the 'fight or flight' syndrome, the negative intended to steer us away from repeating our mistakes. However, it is also a quirk of bearing the intellect that we do, that we can review and then find ourselves lingering (wallowing?) in that negativity. Banishing those thoughts, as you say, is imperative if we are to move forward in life. Seeing what we have, understanding we are who we are as a result of what went before, and then working with these to become even better versions of ourselves is serving one of the main purposes of our existence. The more individuals who manage this, the greater will be the society in which they live. Then up to the community and so on. Blessings to you, dear blogpal! Yxx
I am a person who has to be dragged into 'change' of any kind. this new normal is killing me and I am waiting to see if anything good will come out of it. right now i am so far down in the dumps of life has changed, i can't see the postive
ReplyDeleteHari OM
DeleteYou are certainly not alone in this 'blueness', Sandra. I think all my readers here know me as one for the 'glass half full' sort of attitude. Yet, now, I find I have a deep level of cynicism and bothers me as much as anything else! It is difficult to shake - but we must continue to remember that 'this too shall pass' and, one day, we'll look back and ponder... Be strong my friend!!! Yxx
I am wondering if there has been another more destructive malady attacking humanity. A malady of me only and maybe my kids. A deep self centered orientation that has come from possible greed. Of course the Idiot in Chief is chief of Greed. There are still good people. The eternal battle continues. namaste, janice xx
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