"Yes," says the Rabbi. "Go home and read the news everyday."
The man looks at the Rabbi with raised eyebrows. "OK," he says, "I'll do that, but how will this help me live forever?"
Clearing his throat the Rabbi says, "it will cure you of your desire to live forever."
I have no desire to live forever. What I would like is to live a somewhat peaceful life, free of constant negativity and concern. This desire is increasingly difficult.
I have stopped listening to the constant bombardment of news items. I have never had alerts on my phone. I don't watch talk shows with their endless discussions of who said what, and what the latest polls indicate.
When reading the newspapers (which I still do) I try to look for small glimmers of hope. The Monarch butterflies have returned to Mexico in their hundreds of thousands. First I read this in the paper, and then, the same day, listened to an interview with an environmental scientist. Yes, they have returned this year, but no, in fact it is not a glimmer of hope - and then he went on and on about the degradation of the environment, the pesticides, the fact that although concerned citizens in the US and Canada are growing milkweed it is not nourishing like it used to be ..... lets not be overjoyed at this bountiful return this year.
Then, later the same day a talk on the coral reefs. Oh my goodness - by the year 2050 there will no longer be coral reefs, no species of fish, no this, no that - all caused by climate change ....
I have beautiful vivid recollections of snorkeling in he reefs in the Sinai desert - a surreal and glorious insane artist's rendition ...
The elephants, the giraffe ........
And this all in one day of not really listening with attention.
Oh, test tube fetuses - how could I forget that tidbit!
This isn't even broaching the ghastly political climate - Government shutdowns, an insane President raving about walls and drugs and terrorists, and fake news, and how scientists don't know what they are talking about ......
I work a couple of days a week in a really lovely woman-owned boutique surrounded by luxurious textiles, hand blocked fabrics, unique garments which are not made in a sweatshop. I go to the gym, and to art classes. I participate in a writing group, and an enneagram group. All these activities enrich my life. And yet, yesterday after yoga I sat on the bench putting on shoes after class. Someone I haven't seen in years sits next to me and groans as he bends his leg to put on his shoes. I jokingly commented on how our bodies are now protesting smaller amounts of exercise.
"Courage," he says to me, "it is only going to get worse."
Today at the gym I met two women I haven't seen in a while.
"How are you," "good" we all reply, then comes the qualifications. "As good as can be expected with this ......... and on we all go about all the 'unbelievable' that is believably happening.
So this is a brief summary of my life as it is!
And here is my latest piece, in oils. It is from a photo I took in Carson City in summer of 2017.
2 comments:
Nesta, I do find that painting shuts out the negativity of the outside world. So don't stop making your lovely paintings. Your latest work looks just a photograph, you are so talented!
I'm most impressed with the most recent painting, it's great! I thought it was a photo and without seeing it in person I would not know.
I completely relate to your posting as we are now....I think you are reflecting a state of mind that is so prevalent, how do we navigate these times? Well, as best we can and with some grace and perspective and yes, as you say, hope, wherever it can be found. The news is insane but as you mention, the dire news about the state of life on the planet is most difficult to come to any terms with. Truly.
I do think the creative state/endeavor/process is the best antidote for the times. And humor! The saving grace at the end of any day's news craziness!
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