I love birds, including this one. Lately, I’ve been finding myself (and several of my friends) angry about how the world has been working. For us as individuals, and for the collective too. Call this middle age, call it grief, call it revelation, call it clarity, or maybe call it stuck emotion, or a push-over-the-cliff into a nest of delusion. It doesn’t matter, the calling part. The part that does matter, is the cultivation of truth, and practicing the expression of what you know.
See, I know many outstanding individuals who’ve worked hard and smart for years, doing right by people, going ‘above and beyond’ and acting on kind and generous world views– and actually MAKING that happen across communities. You know, people who take care of others, do the right thing, have integrity, and spread good will and good fortune wherever they go. And these people are upset.
And I know privileged people who don’t need to work hard, now finding human and governmental behaviors insufferable, infuriating even, maybe selfish, greedy or confounding, and then find themselves in “upset” instead of in their own power.
Pssst, most of these folks are women, but it is not only women.
Markup on photo of broken stump. South Kingstown, RI
And here we all continue to be, working jobs, making meals, and driving around our collective highways. Sometimes we have hard feelings, suffer fools, deal with stress and theft, and feel misunderstood. Sometimes we have a huge laugh, or eyes well up with compassionate heart.
Maybe we desire a touch more camaraderie? Or support? Maybe a kindly ear? Maybe a fun friend? Maybe just an opportunity to speak to what you know to be true?
If you are like my people, the answer is yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.
And we live in a cultural space that appears to be upending in real time. So if you are sensitive, you are likely feeling that too. It does not feel good.
Do I need to talk about US starting a war in the Middle East? Feels more than a little, what, destructive and power-grabby? Seems like the actions are born of an arrogant stance of “we know better,” with disrespect for a sovereign state? I’m not saying regime change won’t ultimately offer something good (who knows, if Iranian women get more freedom out of the deal, it could be some kind of a win), but it’s not for US to say what’s for the better, for THEM with firepower in hand.
We haven’t lived that nation’s history. And now we jumped in so hard.
Starting wars to redirect attention, and shifting an entire world’s operating system to accommodate one old guy’s feelings, um well,
______nothing to say here______
The War of Art1
I know I’ve been trying to hide ‘my’ fight in hopes to preserve a gentle, compassionate, and helpful demeanor, and to not burn any future bridges before the first pillar is sunk. But you know, that’s not real, and being pleasant in the face of a flock of flying bullsh!t is not courage, it is complicity.
So today’s post is flip the bird. I have so much to say about what all the symbolism means, but if you have eyes to see you don’t need me to explain.
On a natural note, Hawks, Herons and Ravens to you, along with great music, humane timelines, and the mystery of things falling well into place, when we stop pretending to be who we are not.
Maybe if you too can express a bit of what’s got you upset by making something beautiful of it, you can carry on a bit better, and move forward with some spunk and color too.
It doesn’t matter if anyone else finds the stuff’s beautiful, only you.
Get to it. Your honest spark matters.
- Great book, you can get it here. ↩︎