To the tune of Mr. Roger’s theme song:

It’s a paradoxical day in the neighborhood,
a paradoxical day in this neighborhood,
the weather is fair but wounds are laid bare
the leaves are pretty, some scrunchy, some quaking,
but bullies and violence leave the whole world shaking.

Even in the midst of the great unraveling, it’s still a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

And while I stand by my valuing of the capacity to hold paradox and my version of Mr. Roger’s theme song, I know if I don’t start with the original version with its message of unconditional beauty, innocence, and the primacy of love, and really take it to heart, it will be hard to have the clear seeing necessary to bear witness to the rest.

It’s not easy to always hold that ground. I feel myself being shaken these days and it does seem the whole world is reeling. Small wonder, living as we all are in times of existential threat.

Anti-nuclear activists desperately want us to pay attention now as we stand on the brink of the greatest, most direct, existential threat of all. The ongoing aggression against the Ukraine (Russia’s piece) is hard to take. So is the failure of the US to be more responsible for its piece, including more proactively promoting negotiations when it’s clear that that’s the only way to end the conflict (for more on this see the resources below).

And then there’s catastrophic climate change. I found this article on the protests rocking the art world refreshingly thoughtful.

And now, between the violent insurrectionists and the election deniers, the toxic rhetoric and the fascistic elements, democracy itself is facing an existential threat.

Back in the early stages of my environmental and political awakening it was easy to think about the US not a democracy but more of an oligarchy. Now we have the term corporatocracy, and that seems a better fit, but such talk feels pretty cheap at the moment. With the basic fundamentals of democracy—that were easy to take for granted just a few years ago, at least for privileged white folks like me—now on the line, our democracy, even with its many imperfections feels very precious indeed.

Responding to Existential Threat

So what to do? What is the Active Peace response to existential threat (in just a few paragraphs)?

Two of the basics jump out for recognition. First, appreciate that we’re in a long-term process of personal and collective healing and there’s no quick fix to that (no matter how dire the predicament). Second, there is no should. There’s no particular way that the world should be or that you or anyone else should be.

With that said, and with a reminder that I’ve written up some of the principles of Active Peace, and without trying to should you, I’ll outline my own core practice.

I know that a good place for me to start is with the thoughts that are present. I’ll be honest about the sense of heartbreak, anger, sadness. Then I go to body. If you know my story you’ll know that Active Peace was born the moment I realized I was disconnected from my feelings and I was paying a high price for it. So, for me, just this much is super significant part of my healing.

From there I can connect with the unmet needs that are in play (understanding, connection, authenticity, self-expression, safety, ease). Then I bring self-empathy to my experience. I open to the discomfort and sadness associated with the unmet needs in a self-responsible way, without finger pointing, without resentment and blame. There’s a shift that happens with those steps. I realign myself with capital L Love and a Big Picture perspective.

Then, if it feels authentic, I can respond from a much more grounded place. I can see more clearly and appreciate the wounding that’s in play.

Wounds Laid Bare

Life lays bare the wounds so they can healed. In the end we have choice in how we respond to our trauma and the limiting beliefs that followed. Since trauma dictates so much of our thinking and behavior it’s crucial that we do this work, individually and collectively. While the day is beautiful and may seem peaceful, it is important to be honest about the undercurrents —the wounds, the darker, more conditional truths, and the separation (root meaning of the word insanity: not whole) that puts so such of that beauty at risk.

The lens of wounding helps us appreciate that there’s no quick fix to our shared predicament. To be able to hold both the beauty of the world and the ugliness in it is to hold paradox.

Responding to existential threat and trauma are ridiculously big topics to try to address in a blog post and I hope to be able to say more later. For now, I’ll leave you with the reminder that the final step in healing trauma is action. What is yours to do? In the midst of it all, may you be grateful for the gift of this day and this precious human life.

Photo credit: Guilherme Bustamante via Unsplash