IF things are so good why do people feel so negative?
“Fear is the Mind killer” – Dune, by F.Herbert
When we are alone we fear. Perhaps the fact that so many of us living alone is why so many of us feel helpless, depressed and out of control?
Here are some stories to remind us that technology cannot help us without people being healthy.
Yesterday I went to a lady’s condo for a free dresser that we needed for our simple cottage. When my wife & I got there we met the lady giving away the dresser but it was anything but a straightforward conversation. She shared how difficult things were in her family, even though she had worked hard and kept her family on an even keel all her life. Why do I tell you this? Well, for some reason I encounter stories like this surprisingly often. Middle class people who have worked hard and made good choices… and yet their lives are tougher now than ever.
Canadians are richer than ever before — and they’ve never had so much debt
The reason this conversation really hit me in the guts was that I had just had a long chat with my youngest daughter about the fact that her generation – the 20 somethings – feel that life is getting harder and less happy – even though in a material sense they have more than previous generations. It could be that part of the problem is that their high quality of life is built upon debt and this is bothering them in some deep, unconscious way? I asked her about this and she did not think debt was the problem. She did not think that was the main issue. Rather, she just stated that somehow their world had more fear in it, less a feeling that “the world is my oyster”, more feelings that “if they did not make the right choices now their future life would be rotten” – in other words, it was a vague Zeitgeist feeling that permeated everything and yet was undefinable.
Rich keep getting richer while everyday Canadians suffer
We talked about feeling helpless and I wondered if the social isolation she has experienced was a big part of this unhappy mood. This isolation and fear and feeling of helpless is not just because of Covid, but because of technology which means you watch a movie alone on Netflix rather than going out with friends. There are also other social forces that isolate people and have them self medicate with drugs or booze to soothe their misery – the emphasis is “me” and “being perfect” and loss of social cohesion which are in the mix. Anyway, over lunch we did not come to some deep insight, but we did recognize that unless we each made a concerted effort to combat this fearful and negative Zeitgeist our quality of life and health would suffer.
Another tale. An older single man is still working and sees that he must work until 70 before he can retire. The problem is that his Doctor just told him he needs surgery and will not be able to work for 6 months. The second problem is that EI only pays for medical leave for 15 weeks and EI alone does not pay enough for him to survive. What can he do? He is alone? What are his options? I just don’t know…..
These are tales of 3 lives. I am sure that you know many people too whose lives are more challenging than they should be in the country rated to have the highest quality of life in the world. This matter because the changes we need to make to survive the ecological destruction of the world requires brave and healthy people to embrace the changes we need to make. And if we are alone and fearful we will be unable to do just that.
So what can you do? Stop thinking all debt is good. Don’t let yourself be isolated. Be optimistic – but not naïve – life is hard, but when we work and play together this reduces are our fears. Remember, being afraid makes you very, very stupid and there are today many forces making us afraid [being sued] – just look at weather reports – they are much more dramatic and fearful than in the past. So, if fear is the mind killer be inspired by the bravery of the Ukrainians. They are not giving out and proclaiming “poor me!” – no, they fight. In your life, you too can be brave and not succumb to the pervasive negative pessimism of our age and remain positive. Then, and only then, can you truly live.
“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” – Dune, F.Herbert
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