Being Here Now
It sometimes seems that these are truly terrible times. If I wanted to illustrate the point, I wouldn't have to look far.
On a personal level, this morning alone I got news about death, divorce, and disease in three separate branches of my social and family networks.
In my professional work, I've met a former child soldier and three mothers of boys slain by gun violence, as well as a woman who was paralyzed by a stray bullet - all within the last three days.
In the news, the recent massacre at Virginia tech is a stark reminder of all the horrors that have become 'normal' in our society.
And in the world at large, it's still war, famine, injustice, and environmental cataclysm just about everywhere you look.
We say "live in the moment," but that's easier when the moment is good. When the sun is out, the rent is paid, the kids are fine and the weekend is wide open, the moment is a sweet, seductive sofa, just beckoning for you to relax in its cushy embrace.
The real challenge is to live in the moment when the moment is awful: when tragedy strikes the innocent and undeserving; when a promising life is wasted by deadly disease; when death dominates the headlines and horror looms over the future... are we willing to embrace the moment then, too? Because that is what we must do, to live authentically, to engage with this life while it is upon us. You can't fast-forward through the tough parts of your life, or it will too soon be over, without even the salve of a happy ending.
"Be here now" is a tough prescription at this juncture. I don't like it or want it, and I'm grasping for a spoonful of sugar that might help that nasty medicine go down.
Here's a heaping tablespoon of facts worth facing: that we have music for beauty and inspiration; that our art allows us to express the unspeakable pain of being human; that the human spirit - despite its immense capacity for evil - is irrepressible; that love, however poorly we may understand it, has redemptive power; and that with time, with effort, with discipline, and with help, we can learn to let go of what weighs us down most.
And finally, that nature shows us always, if we only look, that while a single life may be finite and discordant, life itself seems perpetual, vital, and in some way, harmonious. And that, too, is true of this tough moment. I hope that makes a difference.
On a personal level, this morning alone I got news about death, divorce, and disease in three separate branches of my social and family networks.
In my professional work, I've met a former child soldier and three mothers of boys slain by gun violence, as well as a woman who was paralyzed by a stray bullet - all within the last three days.
In the news, the recent massacre at Virginia tech is a stark reminder of all the horrors that have become 'normal' in our society.
And in the world at large, it's still war, famine, injustice, and environmental cataclysm just about everywhere you look.
We say "live in the moment," but that's easier when the moment is good. When the sun is out, the rent is paid, the kids are fine and the weekend is wide open, the moment is a sweet, seductive sofa, just beckoning for you to relax in its cushy embrace.
The real challenge is to live in the moment when the moment is awful: when tragedy strikes the innocent and undeserving; when a promising life is wasted by deadly disease; when death dominates the headlines and horror looms over the future... are we willing to embrace the moment then, too? Because that is what we must do, to live authentically, to engage with this life while it is upon us. You can't fast-forward through the tough parts of your life, or it will too soon be over, without even the salve of a happy ending.
"Be here now" is a tough prescription at this juncture. I don't like it or want it, and I'm grasping for a spoonful of sugar that might help that nasty medicine go down.
Here's a heaping tablespoon of facts worth facing: that we have music for beauty and inspiration; that our art allows us to express the unspeakable pain of being human; that the human spirit - despite its immense capacity for evil - is irrepressible; that love, however poorly we may understand it, has redemptive power; and that with time, with effort, with discipline, and with help, we can learn to let go of what weighs us down most.
And finally, that nature shows us always, if we only look, that while a single life may be finite and discordant, life itself seems perpetual, vital, and in some way, harmonious. And that, too, is true of this tough moment. I hope that makes a difference.
posted by David Newland at 18.4.07
2 Comments:
Hello David,
I am trying to find a way to contact Jay Ingram....You are the "1 degree of seperation" that I was able to find online....Oh, it's so awkward to try and reach someone through the internet...But, I seek him out for professional reasons, I assure you. Like you, I am an artist in Toronto (actor/director)...and would like to pitch myself as Jay's next co-host. ( I blush as I type this..."putting it out there" for all to see...)
If you don't find it grossly inappropriate, I would be grateful for any help you can provide.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Northan
Hi David.. Once again you have touched me with your words. You always make me step back and reflect. Thank you for that.
Barb
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