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How do you cope when it all feels pointless?
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Sometimes I feel like I miss the point of Spirituality because I'm lost in the minutia of trying to find myself. With that said, I get frightened on different levels all the time between what is in my life and in the world. I rationalize that what happens in the world, regardless of the appearance, I only know what I know. I don't know what I don't know. I don't know what's being kept from the public, I don't know different facets of a situation, I don't know the backstory that brought us to this point, there is a little I know and so so so much I don't know. I think of this in our current situation, however, I think of this whenever things look "too good to be true" or whoever is in "power". Like, hmmm, is everything really so rosy or is it a facade. It not just extremes, I think like this all the time, what don't I know. I know what I know, good and bad, what don't I know, without obsessing about it. None of us know everything, although you would think... lolWhat I try to do is pay attention to what I can control. This goes for what happens in my immediate life and what on the outside affects all our lives. I try to educate myself, and when I say that I don't mean watch the new 24/7 and make myself crazy with fear. However, what I try to do on a more personal scale (not always successful) and I mean this in a more reflective way to my personal life, but it ripples out, I pay attention to me, what I give out, am I passing anger along by arguing and letting that (negative) energy linger, which I think is what needs to be transformed. I ask the Universe for synchronicities to let me know I'm following the bread crumbs that are meant for me and that calms me into ahhh, yes, I'm where I should be, regardless of what's going on around me.
Peace and Love to All...and I mean that, to all.
Mod
I think you hit the nail on the head with your first sentence Julie! We really do get lost in the minutia of our everyday world, don't we - especially with the 24/7 news channels, plus social media, there's really no escaping it! And so, I think detachment really does help - that doesn't mean we're hiding our heads in sand, but getting a little bit of distance helps get a bigger / better perspective of our reality. And you're right, the more we can send out positive ripples of energy, the more they come back to us as well. I myself recently started the Metta meditation (loving kindness) meditation for this purpose - to send out love and kindness into the world :)
Thank you so much for sharing your fears and your thoughts Julie!!
I liked Julie's response as well - she breaks the world situation down into manageable terms and takes good care of herself in the process. I try to remember that the times we live in are better than we think.
The world has been through much worse times before, and yet we are still here. If we had the great flu epidemic tody that was in the 1920's (I think), more than a million people would die today. People carried on and made it through. The same for the Great Depression and World War II. Our world seems precarious at times, but I think the media magnifies that one hundred times!! We are so blessed many times over to have the amazing lives we do - I remember that everyday.
Good Grieving: Narrative Perspectives of Loss and BereavementHello,
I do agree with Barbara. The world has been on the brink so many times in our parents and grandparents life times that we think because we are going through it now, this has to be the worse of times. Think about the ancient times and how life was so hard if you were lucky enough to survive the harsh climates and guerrilla warfare that constantly went on, you may wonder how we actually survived to modern day times.
We are really blessed to have conversations and have one another to talk it out. Our society is more open and free more than it has ever been, especially for women. With all great leaps and bounds, there has always been great tragedy that occurred before great change.
That is how I cope...knowing that the worst of times are usually followed by a great breakthrough.
Mod
It has been a bit of an eye-opener for me to see the turmoil happening right now, when I thought the world as a whole has evolved to a higher consciousness than ever before - the peace times that we enjoy now is of course a reflection of that! However, there are still many pockets of hatred and negativity that are erupting everywhere still, and let's continue to do what we can do, what we need to do, to counter it with positivity and peace.
"Whatever you do might seem insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." -Gandhi (who was a peace warrior, if ever there was one!)
Thank you for your encouragement Saiisha!
Love the discussion. I try and stay away from the news for awhile. It's hard sometimes because of the seriousness of much of what is happening today.
Guided meditations help me immensely. Concentrating on the breath with soft music or lovingkindness meditation.
I've also tried to concentrate more on the Noble Eightfold Path. One area is right speech involving how I talk to and respond to people. Also listening to what someone is saying. For instance, listening to the worker in the grocery store and not thoughtlessly exchanging pleasantries. Smiling at people.
Mod
I try and stay away from the news for awhile. It's hard sometimes because of the seriousness of much of what is happening today.
Guided meditations help me immensely. Concen..."
That's such an important point James - to pay attention to how we talk to people, respond to them, and most importantly, how we listen to them!
IF YOU'VE FELT FRIGHTENED ABOUT THE FUTURE...
How do you get yourself back to having a positive outlook on life? How does your spirituality help you come to grips with reality? This is a wise community of old souls, and I'd love to hear what you'd do to handle this feeling of futility. Please share your tips and suggestions!