Andy will facilitate this Monday. He shares:
This Monday I thought I would return once more to the subject of equanimity. I was reading the other morning about the last few weeks in the world's stockmarkets. They were explaining the reasons for the extreme levels of volatility which have seldom been seen (in the last few decades) other than at the very worst of the 2008 crash and on 9/11. The commentator laid out their thesis as to why this time was different and that we should prepare for what they described as an “extreme zig- zag world” of highs and lows lasting possibly the next decade and beyond.
We all knew that we likely had a bumpy road ahead with issues such as wealth inequality, climate change, societal polarization and systemic racism needing to be tackled — even putting aside the current pandemic. It’s no wonder the volcano just blew its top.
I have gotten to observe those around me and my own moods these last few weeks. Anger, excitement, despair, optimism, lethargy, energy countless other deep feelings. My own low point was during one of the worst days of the recent protests when a close friend confided in me that they were terrified for their future. I may not have ‘blown my top’ but I have felt close on a number of occasions.
I was drawn back into the practice in recent years by the need to put balance and equanimity back into my life. A long time sufferer from always taking on way too much and always being up to my nostrils in a rising ocean I knew this could help. Interestingly, I had separated wider societal suffering — which I had always felt I was equipped to tackle with (political) tools — from the practice which I saw as a more individual path. Today the interconnectedness of these personal and political spheres have come into clearer focus for me and how our community can help support others during these times.
“I think we have to wake up to the fact that everything is connected to everything else. Safety, well-being cannot be individual matters anymore. If others are not safe there is no way that we can be safe. Taking care of others’ safety is at the same time taking care of our own safety. Taking care of others’ well-being is to take care of our own well-being. It is the mind of discrimination and separation that is at the foundation of all violence and hate.”
Thich Nhat Hahn address to US Congress 2003.
As we reflect on these last few months what connections have you made between the different aspects of your life and your own practice?
What lessons or learnings do you think will stay with you in the years ahead?
I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.
Andy
Note: title of this article is sourced from The Madness Vase, by Andrea Gibson