My Heartsongs

My sense is that people are interested in aging and dying with clearer intent, and I might have something to contribute to that conversation. I offer an excerpt from my work in progress, Thanatopia: Conscious Aging & A Good Death, and invite any feedback you’d like to share.

TOHUBOHU is an ancient Hebrew word referring to a state of chaos, utter confusion. It is a somewhat familiar space, one I rarely feel on a personal level, but more often experience empathically with the crazy destructive patterns of the world at large. if we are to move through the apparent chaos that confronts us, we need a “disruptor” of sorts, something easily adoptable and desired by throngs of people, because they feel more empowered by embracing it. Daily mass meditation would be a good start, along with time just being with the earth’s majesty…and more dancing!

More than evolutionary stochastic patterns, intelligence is the ability to solve problems, and plants and animals other than humans clearly demonstrate those expressive and sentient smarts over and over. Immersed in invisible air and supported by countless alive creatures, we cannot claim to do a solitary dance of being. When was the last time we consciously, directly expressed our affection for our dear earth, which nourishes and sustains us all?

It is clear that our pandemic wake-up call will soon morph into an endemic persistent nagging at our collective will to engage in constructive change on a planetary scale. The virus is not going away, but will remain as a seasonal infection somewhat more deadly than influenza. Time for some hygge, an important Danish concept of wellbeing worth emulating. Include 15 year old Alma’s music in the mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0xMpLXQNvM

Lots of data coming in about the mental health toll of this pandemic, and clearly isolation, fear of infection, and economic fallout are three major factors contributing to a rise in anxiety and depression. The CDC even has a “be kind to your mind” initiative—especially important given what we know from the field of psychoneuroimmunology, and its research into the adverse impact of stress, sleep and nutrition on our body’s protective systems.

Pragmatic daily doings combine with higher order aspirations – the spiritual quest for purpose and meaning in a cosmos with over an estimated 125 billion galaxies – as I strive each day to avoid absent minded busyness. You know of what I speak: the endless email dribble, invasive telemarketing phone calls, the internet fodder that often distracts more than discerns, enervates rather than entertains.

All of the challenges – pandemic, climate change, invasion of the Capitol – are calling us to our better selves. No doubt, humans are the biggest trouble makers on the planet, and my sense is that there are three major reasons for that reality. A triad of unskillful behaviors – endless population expansion, unfettered desires, and “us and them” mentality – that create a downward spiraling morass of suffering.

January 6 is the Western Christian feast of the Epiphany, when Jesus is recognized by the Magi as the spiritual King of humans. It is also a term referring to a striking realization that allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective. With the violent events unfolding at the Capitol on that very day, did you have any epiphany? I know I did. Let me explain what it was…

A few specific, realistic commitments for 2021 remind us of the power of intention as a force for good—especially when they involve self-care, or altruistic actions towards other beings. They help us remember the everyday beauty that makes existence not only livable but infused with joy.

Greatness resides in trust. G R I T. This little acronym came to me in those subtle moments between sleeping and waking. Grit seems to be a combination of perseverance and determination, fueled by passion and a mindset willing to explore one’s edge—a we are here to grow and evolve perspective. When I reference trust in the context of true grit, I am speaking about its trifold dimension: trust other humans, trust God or the Universe, and trust oneself.