Reflections about Options

Carol A. Hand

Two childhood dreams
One of darkness, one of light
One that freezes action in midnight terror
The other daylight freedom flight
A tender child then, perhaps by fate,
could choose to observe life as if from above
detached, compassionate,
but is this really living love?

The reality now in the world today
reminds me of dark storm clouds rolling in
although this storm feels as if it’s here to stay
It’s time for us to stand alone, together, bearing light
to face these fearsome times come what may

***

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32 thoughts on “Reflections about Options”

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  1. I realize this is your own “path” and chain of thought here, but I find it difficult to follow logically. Is this implying that detachment and compassion are for those who choose not to get involved in the things of earth?
    The other point I would raise is this line, “It’s time for us to stand alone, together, bearing light to face these fearsome times come what may”

    To “stand alone, together,” seems an oxymoron. I don’t usually have any problem with oxymoronic statements, I make them often enough, but this one caught my attention. You see, my view is that collective efforts have failed us, and we need to move away from the “together” to find our personal, individual power. Not “natives” or “blacks” or “minorities” or “women” or “youth” or “Muslims” or any other separation the Matrix has used to pit us, one group against another, for all the times it has ruled. Yes, we need to stand alone — but not together. We need self-empowered, critical, individual thought as we enter a sure-to-be terrible future. Not that we will no longer interact with one-another. If we become compassion (not just compassionate) we will have the empowerment we’ve been looking for and haven’t found all these years. We always had it; we do have it — we just need to activate it, as a personal and sacred choice, i.e., a choice from which there is no turning back. (Sincerely apologetic for this over lenghty comment.)

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    1. I appreciate your thought-provoking comments, Sha’Tara. This brief reflection was an initial attempt to sort through my simplistic either/or notions of what it means to be detached and compassionate. I need time, space, and discipline to reach that place. It’s not automatic. As a reader of people, I’m sometimes overwhelmed by the presence of those whose energy is disturbingly heavy and dark. It’s easier for me to simply observe from a distance until I can make sense of those situations. I wonder if it’s fear, wisdom, or detached compassion that prompts me to withdraw. The question for me is how to hold center in such encounters – how to be fully present as a channel of positive energy. The image I drew helps me envision what that state means. I’m not sure if this makes sense to anyone else. It does come from the two recurring dreams I had as a child.

      The juxtaposed terms of the alone, together are really an abbreviated way of expressing a temporal progression. We need to learn how to stand alone in integrity before we can truly stand with others who have likewise learned to do so. For short periods of time, I have witnessed the power of small groups of people to work together to create incredible programs that one person could not do on her/his own.

      Again, thank you for engaging in thought-provoking dialogue. 🙂

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      1. Thanks for your explanation. I too am seeking to expand my understanding of empowerment without falling into the old and failed traps. Interacting with much higher educated people has helped me expand my own knowledge and awareness. So a double thank you.

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  4. The apprehension and anxiety of these times certainly comes through and I think most of us feel it too. I have lately stopped watching the news and try to avoid Trump Tweets because they ruin my mood, my day, they make me angry, frustrated, fearful, and I am exhausted from all the negative energy that surrounds them, all the trolling, the arguing that follow his outbursts and lack of critical thinking.

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  5. Carol, I totally get this. I was reminded of Dr. Maya Angelou’s comment from 1973 (from Brene Brown’s most recent book, Braving the Wilderness): “You are only free when you realize that you belong no place – you belong every place – no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.” I learned from a trusted sage that for some of us, being a group of one is appropriate for this lifetime. None of this means that we do not love, are not compassionate, are not engaged in community OR that we do not recognize dark energy when we encounter it in another. As an empath, I trust my intuition, and will create space between the other and me, so that I can objectively discern what is real for me, relative to the other. The offering of love and compassion – from afar – is something we all have the capacity to do and I do it every day. I honor what is at the core of your writing and your sketch. 🙏​

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    1. Thank you for sharing such important insights, Carrie. The advice from a trusted sage is especially comforting. Being a group of one is something that feels wisest for me at this stage of life, now that I have some time to reflect. But it’s hard to overcome my past life of spending so much of my time and energy working to build group cohesiveness and collective change efforts, albeit on a small scale. ❤

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      1. Carol, I understand. Success in my career came from building group cohesiveness, and encouraging collaboration for major change initiatives…and it took a toll on me from time to time. People can be so ugly when they are guarding what they consider to be their territory. What I have learned is that the changes I make for myself – my healing, my writing, my perspective and most importantly my beliefs – make a powerful contribution to the whole. Whether I am meditating, listening to and coaching a client, listening to a grandchild, or any number of different things, my commitment to be present is part of my contribution to the collective. Be well, dear Carol. 💕​

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  6. Hi Carrol, We’ve been out traveling and speaking with people. I’ve come to think that we need both collective action and individual actions. I doubt individuals stand much of a chance against the volume of raw hatred and malice that is arising. I also imagine we need to have a deep patience and faith in the inevitable swinging of the pendulum, although the waiting time can seem impossibly long. I wonder whether it will happen in my lifetime, and know that those older than me have serious doubts they will live to see it. But we have been here before and are still here,much to the consternation of those who wish we were not.

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  11. Last night I was going through my reader and realized you had a post there that had NOT shown up in my email inbox. I don’t let all my follower’s posts come to my inbox but yours is one that I do so that I don’t miss anything you post and so that I can easily comment and read it at carefully and ponder what you said. So I clicked on it on the reader and it showed that I wasn’t already following you which I immediately tried to take care of. So if you got a notice today that I had started following you, that’s why, But if you didn’t, please let me know so I can contact WP immediately and get this fixed. Hugs and blessings, N 🙂 ❤ xoxoxoxo

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    1. Thank you so much for your always thoughtful comments and support, Natalie. I am so grateful for your presence in my life.

      I haven’t received any notices about you following my blog today, but I will let you know if I do. I also need to apologize for not visiting your blog as often as I would like – grading has taken up a lot of my time the past few weeks and probably will for the next few as well, but there is an end in sight, at least for a little while.

      I send hugs and blessings to you, too, sweet friend. ❤

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  12. Pingback: Reflections about Options — Voices from the Margins – après-pensées

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