Imagine living a thousand years ago. Your life would have been much simpler. Probably one town, maybe a couple of kings in power. Predictions of the future were more about love and health. Most people did not change their class or social position. Your life would have been mostly about survival and procreation. Violence and disease would be the most important risks to worry about. Very few people worried about life outside of their own village.
Today, there seems to be so much more we worry about. Some people get angry about strife on the other side of the globe. Some worry about the future of democracy. There are doomsayers predicting an AI takeover. We have gun violence, white supremacy, patriarchy, inflation, immigration, hunger, climate change, drug-resistant viruses, social isolation, the effects of screens on children, and a host of other things, big and small, to wring our hands about.
There is so much. Take your pick. Select the issues that make you the most upset and then feed yourself a steady diet of details about it. Despite the fact that violent crime and disease have diminished dramatically in the last hundred years, people don’t feel any better. We live longer, have more food and security, and yet we are the opposite of content. We are stressed out.
Loving your life
I remember seeing this image with a caption that said Homer has achieved the highest state of Buddhist enlightenment that takes practitioners a lifetime to achieve. He is dreaming of doing exactly what he is currently doing.
This really made me stop in my tracks. When I look at the news and the world around me, I have much to fear. However, if I look at my own situation, I have much to be grateful for. I have a good, high paying job that I love doing. The people on my team are great. I have a good manager who gets me. I believe in the vision and mission of the company. My family is healthy, and I get to mostly do what I want every day.
Compared to most of recorded humanity, I am living a blessed life.
I know very well that many people in the world are suffering badly in all parts of the world. There is still violence, hunger, crime, corruption, pain, war, and misery. I am not wearing rose colored glasses. It is my duty to advocate where I can to make the world a better place. This is why I stay educated and vote.
However, I also want to be mindful. I do not want to live a life of regret and angst. I want to appreciate the things that are good. Although much is worrisome, I think our world is still better than it used to be and trending in the right direction. You don’t have to be an optimist to see that.
In this tumultuous time, I hope that you have some things going right and can spend a little time with positivity in your life.
Happy World Mental Health Day! (One day late, sorry!)
Whatya think?