Mary Laquet

31–March-2020

OK. I’ve decided to start documenting a few things during this lockdown. Of course, knowing me, this could be the only entry to my Lockdown Journal. I don’t do routine well.

It is my observation that time is weird in this experience – weirder than usual, that is. Each day zooms. I am always shocked how late it is when I finally decide to venture up the stairs to bed. Nearly every night Juliet and I say, “How did it get to be tomorrow already?” We do keep ourselves occupied through the day and evening in one way or another. It’s not that we are DOING things. We are very good at BEING. 

Though the days pass with mind boggling swiftness, the weeks are retrospectively like years. There is so much to take in. Global statistics, concern for friends who are suffering, and change, massive change.

Although I like to live in the moment, I am also a bit of a futurist. I look at the current experience of humanity and I wonder/guess/predict what the new world will look like. We are forever altered. Culture, art, politics, communication, everything. 

Change is normal. Through my life, the world and humanity have changed greatly. These changes have tended to come in waves resulting in global shifts. This, however, is a cataclysmic event. We cannot lag, we cannot go back. We are called to adapt and create.

I am placing my faith in Intelligence and am knowing through this experience it is now abundantly apparent to all that:

• Humans indeed affect our environment and thus the climate. Our relationship with the planet is, by necessity, one of cooperation and respect.
• Humans are not the boss and there are no Chosen Ones.
• Cooperation is vital. It unites us. Unity is the way forward. Competition serves to divide us. Unfettered capitalism is lethal. People over profit is imperative!
• Our governments are our reflection. Governments are a necessary means of coordinating our progress and our safety. If government is failing in that, we have failed in creating it. In Democracies, government is a reflection of our hopes, fears, faith, strengths, weaknesses, an beliefs. In autocracies, it is a reflection of our fears and beliefs. In any form of government or political structure, we are granting the government permission by our action or inaction.
• Leadership is not a byproduct of position, formal authority, power, education, wealth, armaments, or TV ratings. Leadership does not rely on fear, bullying, bribery, secrecy, or manipulation to exert influence. True Leadership is a matter of character that is rooted in truth, honour, respect, compassion, transparency, intelligence, and humanity.
• Science and Spirituality are partners in the continued development of the human species. Science is a way toward understanding, but not everything fits in a Petri dish or can be measured with tools. Our bodies and our environment are amazing complex systems and science shows us how it all works together. And, there is far more going on than meets the eye. We cannot limit our faith to science, nor can we ignore/deny science because of our faith. They are inseparable aspects of our development.
• We are in a revolution. Our style of dominion over the planet is being overthrown by a faction of existence that uses guerrilla tactics. Our governments, economies, and other formal social systems seem weak and defenceless. The time has come to move from reactively fighting and pushing for control. It is time for introspection, negotiation and compromise. We are being called to recognise, collectively and individually, what we have done to create our present predicament, accept and own our contribution to the dysfunction, and give up our petty needs to control or to be right. We must change our way of being, from controllers to caretakers. Our decisions now determine how or if we exist in the future. From what I have witnessed so far, the greatest power that has been demonstrated over this threat to our existence is kindness. We simply need to stand aside and let Love lead.

Two millennia ago, a Jewish man brought some revolutionary concepts forward: God is loving, and Love is the the supreme power and guide for humanity. Previously, the image of God was essentially portrayed as an all-powerful, vengeful figure who ruled by fear. Society reflected those God-like characteristics. (Or, was it the other way around?) A loving, forgiving God the Father was a massive paradigm shift. Not all took well to this new idea, particularly those in political and financial power who depended on heavy-handed constructs to maintain their control over the masses. 

Jesus lived his life, as best a human could, in accord with the principles he taught. This was truly revolutionary thinking and behaviour in that age. (There is one notable exception for Jesus that I will get to later.) Jesus befriended the outcasts of society and socialised with the highest classes. He related to all of them with Love at the center of his intentions. 

After too many years of blind stumbling, I now consciously do my best to follow the example Jesus provided. Believe me, it ain’t easy! I fail more often than I care to admit. And then, I practice some more. Recent years have made my practice all the more challenging. I see conditions in the world that savage my idealist psyche. And, I thoughtlessly react. My thoughts and behaviours in those moments are incongruent with my true being. I am struck off balance and stumble into a condition that I call Dissonance. 

It hurts. 

To find peace and to return to my practice, I must remind myself of what I believe to be true of myself and of humankind. Some of the tools I use to do this are the documented wisdom of the ages. I don’t limit myself to any one source. Wisdom comes in many wrappers – secular, non-secular, Christian, Islamic, Jewish, comedy … The wrapper is irrelevant. A gift is a gift.

This is a Christian passage that can always soothe my aching soul:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

This is where I want to live from. As an idealist, this is also where I want and expect my leaders to live from. I use this passage as a touchstone for my thoughts and behaviours. Rightly or wrongly, I also use it to assess the demonstrated behaviours of those who are in authority. I regularly experience disappointment and, yes, anger because of my judgement of others. For example, read that Corinthians passage again and then browse through Donald Trump’s Twitter tsunami. You will find dissonance pure and simple. I wont even broach the matter of religious leaders and behaviours of abuse and greed. Grrrr. There I go again. Practice, practice, practice…

This brings me to that notable exception I mentioned earlier. It is often referred to as Jesus’ Temple Tantrum. Jesus was upset when he found the temple being contaminated by the money changers. Who were the money changers? They were the people converting worshipers foreign coins to local currency and charging unreasonable fees to do so. They were the religious leaders who said the overpriced offerings purchased from them were the only sacrifices God would accept. They were all those seeking to profit from the everyday people who simply sought to practice their relationship with God and to live a happy life. 

I can’t help but see history repeating itself (again) in our present world condition. Are we devolving into a state of leadership and control by fear (again)? It surely feels like it. We collectively seem to have forgotten so much of what humanity has evolved through – wars, genocide, terrorism. With each atrocity of the past we  claimed to have learned to be better and have vowed, “never again.” But then, the again comes around. It does because we have not continued our work, our practice as individuals and as a species. We can’t afford to keep this up. We are strangling ourselves, each other, and our world. 

We are each responsible for our own practice. We are also responsible to hold our leaders accountable for their hurtful and destructive behaviour. Is it fair and reasonable to expect compassion, fairness, decency, and, dare I say, Love from our leaders? I believe it is, yes! I also believe it is as much of a duty for us to demand it of each of them as it is to practice loving kindness ourselves. This world is diverse and there are a lot of us. There are raw conflicts. These conflicts cannot be fought away or bought away, but they can be loved into coalescence. Every dividing issue is a symptom of the same condition: amnesia. We have forgotten that we have much more in common than we do differences. We have forgotten that we have a supreme power to guide us: Love.

It’s not easy, I know. 

Love is both the challenge and the solution. Let’s practice more, shall we? 

I drove to the beach today. I didn’t set off to go there. I actually had no clue where I wanted to go, I just knew I needed to get somewhere. I followed a nudge, found myself on the road to the beach, and kept going. As I drove, the morning fog kept getting thicker and visibility poorer. This was a road I had travelled before but it seemed so different. It also seemed many miles longer. Yet, the only thing that had actually changed was the atmosphere.

The fog brought on a sense of uncertainty and confusion. I knew what generally awaited at the end of the road, and I knew what I wanted to experience when I got there. I also knew that there was no assurance of what things would look like because of the current conditions. 

Because of the fog, I could see only so far ahead in any moment. I was using my headlights but they were of no apparent practical use. All that I could do is continue on the road, with my available view,  and trust. 

Once I arrived at the beach, the fog still obscured my intended visual experience. I could smell the ocean, hear the surf, and see some welcomed sights that were immediately in front of me, but the full visual experience was not yet complete. Even with the fog’s presence, I still knew and trusted that the ocean, sand, breakers, birds, ground squirrels, ice plants, and other beach visual delights were there. They were just beyond my current ability to experience them.

It struck me that my morning’s journey was much like my current life situation. I am on a road that I have travelled before and it is familiar. However, the current atmosphere makes it seem very different. The journey seems to be longer and requires more effort. Like the fog, my confusion and conflict are temporary. If I place my focus on those conditions, progress will be slow and arduous, and I will not be free to experience what is already clear. If I allow myself to feel peace and gratitude in what I already have, I stay in the now moment and am open for what is yet to be revealed. I was also reminded that the whole of it is already here. It is revealing in Nature’s time.

This morning’s analogous experience applies to most any tough situation I have had in life. Whether the fog is produced in an atmosphere of pain, grief, depression, worry, or any other negative emotion, the practice is the same. Even the use of headlights applies. There are tools that I can use that may not seem to have a direct impact on my vision, but they fully support my intended good. One that springs to mind is self-care. Self-care comes in many forms. In today’s experience, my headlights didn’t help me see but they helped others see me, keeping me safe. Self-care can be shining out and saying, “Here I am! I may be in a vulnerable state right now but here I am.” That gives others an opportunity to see me and support me on my road.

I have things to say.

Things in my world are likely different from yours. We are all individuals. There are things about which I have intense feelings. I want to let them out more fully. Correction: I NEED to let them out more fully. I can no longer stand by in polite silence. I have a responsibility to the future. There are also things that I simply express with the intention of conveying the right word, in the right moment to help at least one person on their path.

I invite you to momentarily set aside what you know and believe, what you think is true, and your ideas of right and wrong. In that open moment, read what I have to say without judgement. Be aware of your feelings and thoughts that arise as you read. Then ask yourself, what you truly believe and what you believe it.

The thoughts I present in the blog are representative of what I think and believe – they are also the residue of my processing toward reaching a higher Truth. I welcome you to walk with me on my path, even if it is for a minute or two.

Blessings.