TOGETHER WE SURVIVE

Every day, I peruse articles in the New York Times and Washington Post which need to stay informed, but it is not an enjoyable task. Constant thumping on the Trump Administration, the crisis of humanity at our southern borders, the ignorance of climate change and its consequences, and uncertain economic climate; all trigger deep and dark thoughts. So, let me share those thoughts.

The societal condition so prevalent today — the political inability to make anything happen across partisan lines — drives me into the darkness of despair. Fortunately, I live in a community where social capital is built and fostered on caring and looking out for one another. We are the aging baby boomers. United by similar demographics and the empathy of aging. Regardless building a social network wherever we are — in the workplace, at the neighborhood level, in the communities — is vital to creating balance in our lives. As I have mentioned in a prior blog on climate change, it is finding the sweet spot between despair and hope.

Hope doesn’t hinge on a rosy picture of the future. I really believe that the amount of sacrifice we can make – the amount of cruelty that we can inflict – is very large. However, I believe that people are empathetic to the needs of others and are desperate for normality other than what normal currently is.

There are millions of people who don’t know how to engage with this in a constructive way and feel powerless, which is feeding their despair. But they are not on board with the viciousness and hatred and divisiveness that you can get on TV every minute of the day.

So, the how do we cope today and face that uncertain future? My proposition is to form bonds leading to robust personal relationships. That’s the piece that got to us to cooperate as a species in the first place. Long ago, our ancestors recognized that we have greater advantage when we work together as opposed to everyone for themselves. We are here because we cooperated. It is the biology of the Homo sapiens. It is crucial that we learn to imagine what we could gain. If we can’t imagine it, it’s more difficult to create. It’ll make us dependent on accidents, serendipities.

Thanks for listening, I do have hope that we can move forward – together.

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