What am I afraid of? What is it about the shift that's causing me so much anxiety?
The news headlines are depressing. It's hopeless. We have no chance. Yet, look inward and in the mirror, what am I afraid of?
Read the headlines. Does it frustrate you? Does it seem hopeless?
I can’t tell if the world is collectively collapsing, or if it’s just my projection. How we consume information today is a series of algorithms that feed information to us, a constant cycle of information.
Yet, when I look out the window into the landscape, it looks peaceful. How can what feels like a collapsing society co-exist with peaceful serenity?
But what are we afraid of?
Are we afraid that if we took off the mask, the world would know that we are imperfect? That we carry guilt, shame, and generations of horrors within our bones, our DNA.
If I take off my divisive mask, the political issues, the values that I won’t budge on, that behind all of that, is a calling to feel at home, to belong.
So I fill the spaces with addictive behaviors. I’m addicted to fast food, to drugs, to sex, to junk that gives me a temporary fix from the pain, the ache that won’t go away.
Why are we so afraid of writing this next chapter?
The journal begins
Watch this video below with the awesome sketches from a Ram Dass talk about breaking the cycle of addiction.
Our society is engineered around our suffering. The more we hate, the more we feel bad, the more we feel not enough, the more crap we can shove on you.
Journal Questions:
Take out your journal, a sheet of paper, the notes app on your phone, the comments section, whatever.
What is your addiction? What one thing is causing you to ride the roller coaster of rush and guilt?
Sit quietly for a moment and listen for the voice. What are you trying to hide when you seek instant gratification?
If you were to let go of this that no longer serves you, how would it create space for what inspires you?