All Broken and All Good

The political climate and emotional escalation has driven many people to extreme anxiety. Our planet, our economy, our lives feel out of balance and at risk. Historically, we could use humor to relieve some pressure but even humor is not as readily available to us. We are now all coming to realize and rationalize how broken many things in our lives are. Even if you have a blessed life, there is no doubt, you are dealing with something in your life that hurts.

Our understanding of pain whether systemic or not is still immature. Empathy is a gift and a curse. Not everyone is empathetic and for those who lack empathy, it is hard to understand why they would even want it.

The point is that all of us in some way are perceptually broken but we have always throughout our entire history been imperfect. Imperfection and broken pieces and parts are what we are but this is nature. If any of us knew the reasoning behind it, even if we could realistically explain it, many of us would not easily accept the knowledge. All said, I think it is worth the effort to explore what we can do as individuals to find acceptance with ourselves and realize the concept of being “all good” with what is. To be clear, I believe that we should work towards goals of being better and striving for more but we have to work with what we have. It isn’t possible to make apple pie with lemons. It seems to me that today, we just want to hide or change what we are in to meet or pass some test.

I’ll acknowledge for my religious friends and family that G-d as written has answered many of these questions. No dispute or argument here from me. I’ll add that in my life from many aspects, there are super natural acts which have taken place to allow me the opportunity to be here. Over the past few weeks, I’ve consider some of these. In 1972, flight 401 departing for Miami and crashing in the Everglades was short a few passengers as I was sick with the flu as a baby and my parents were forced to cancel our plans.

There have been other instances in my life where I was saved or spared for some reason, I don’t know why. I don’t have a following of millions of people, and I work with and talk to people one person at a time and one moment at a time. I still question, why I am here and challenge myself to discover my overall purpose. I also question myself to challenge and create purpose. A friend of mine a few years ago shared what I believe is a Christian tenant, he said “G-d meets you half way.” This would require us to get up and get going to achieve our goal whatever that may be.

Through my personal searching, reflection and discovery, I have decided to share my thinking and some of the tools, methods and techniques I am learning and discovering. If they are of value to you, I think that is great! I was asked last week, why I write and what I hope to accomplish. My answer is that I can’t wait or hope for happiness. Happiness takes work and it requires attention. If we don’t make an effort to be happy or discover what happiness is for us, we may never really know it. For each of us, it could be something very different, for many of us, it may be similar and simple. If we are loved, and if we express love. If we are true to ourselves and be ourselves and know we are accepted with our brokenness and all, we can be all good. We can be, and I believe it and that’s why I write and share because it isn’t a place or a journey for me, it is a practice.

Last thought, it occured to me yesterday and I’ll challenge you what I asked of myself. Imagine that you were given a day to travel 100 years into the future. Along with all the cool stuff you may like to learn, one of the things you had to do as part of this time travel opportunity was to find your final resting place. In this scenario, you would learn of the day you died. What would you say to yourself? What would it change if anything? From my thought exercise which I have yet to finish, I am struggling with what I would actually say to myself without the knowledge of what I did with my life. At least today, when we go to a cemetery, there isn’t a life history YouTube stream that we can push a button for active learning and reflection. It is simply a marker and a conversation (if you do that sort of thing).

I’m interested in what other people think about this as well. I am still thinking through what I would do .. or think.

What do you think?