Finding our way through insanity

-------------------------------How simple it is for the experience of living to be overwhelming. There are twen
ty four hours in a day, bottomless to-do lists, repeated follow-ups on just abou
t anything, needing to be there for others and confronting our plunging energy l
evels.
Sure, there are better days and days that we'd rather rip out of existence, but
there are those periods of time in our life where life as a whole just feels as
though it's too much.
Society has its particular codes of ethics, even for individuals who are overwhe
lmed. Society's codes don't care much about the individual - it's too busy prote
cting its own survival. It's in denial of anything that would undermine its exis
tence, and overwhelmed individuals pose a real threat for society's continuity.
So it just pretends that we are a negligible minority.
We live at a time where the rate
used to live an entire lifetime
gs were recognizable. Later, the
that it allowed us to gradually

of change seems to be increasing by the day. We

in the same environment, more or less, and thin
rate of change increased, but the rate was such
come to terms with the new.

Today, the rate of change is so fast, that as fast as something new is being int
roduced, so it also vanishes. We don't even know whether or not the new trend (l
anguage, technology, education, politics, practices etc'), is here to stay for l
ong enough, to even consider it as existing. Our society is in turmoil and we ar
e left confused. Those of us who are not confused today, may find themselves in
a state of shock tomorrow.
Nothing is wrong with us - individually or collectively. If any feelings of insu
fficiency or incompetency arise, it is only when we compare our life today - in
terms of actions, thoughts, emotions and reactions - to what it appeared like in
the past. Recorded history has no parallel anywhere in its unfolding, of such a
light-speed rate of change, and there's no one from whom we can seek advice. We
are the cutting edge. Alone as a society and individually.
There is nothing wrong with us. There is nothing wrong with being confused. Ther
e is nothing wrong with being afraid or panic. But it doesn't end here. With inc
reasing confusion and stress on so many fronts, society's codes and no-nos are b
eing challenged as well. Crime, addictions, destruction of self and destruction
of the other, are all part of this changing landscape. Society's codes are being
challenged. Society, as we know it, is crumbling.
Sooner or later we'll be able to recognize the Phoenix as it will rise from the
ashes, but at the moment, what we mostly see are the flames and the destruction.
Don't judge yourself. Don't blame yourself. Don't expect to be the same person t
hat you were yesterday. Don't expect to know in advance how to act and whether o
r not it is right or wrong. We don't know. But we're going through all of this a
s one, perhaps more united as a society as we ever were before. That's because t
he pain and fear is no longer limited to the underdog who never makes it to the
news; it is now becoming a reality for those who thought that they were protecte
d.
We live this movie as it is being written. We cannot flip a few pages forward to
see what's happening next. Once we can come to terms with such a reality, once
we stop denying the fact that we really don't know what to do next, that's when
we can take the first step: re-centering. We must take a pause. Look at the chil

dren when they play, with their arms spread sideways as they spin faster and fas
ter and faster. At some point they can no longer continue. They lose their balan
ce and they fall to the ground. If they stand up too early, everything will be s
pinning in front of their eyes. They must stay on the ground, overwhelmed for a
while, before their minds can reorient and their balance resume. Only then they
can get up and start a new game.
One day at a time. One crisis at a time. One breath at a time.
We can do it.
Blessings
odedbenami.com