The tension we’re all being forced to live with is this:
On the one hand, no one wants to “go gentle into that good night.” (There’s a separate conversation to be had about whether “resistance” is working; the point is that so many people feel such a strong urge to “resist” in the first place.)
On the other hand, we must — must — be gentle on ourselves and each other. (This is, of course, easier said than done: but desolation and desperation truly do not help.)
If you’re reading this, you probably haven’t been preparing for this situation your whole life. It’s likely you have some expendable time and income. You might speak of uncertainty or complexity as if they are obstacles to be overcome, rather than the baseline qualities of human existence.
It’s also likely that all of this — the tension, the felt lack of preparation, the overall context — keeps needling you just where you’re most vulnerable, which only makes the tension harder to bear.
Paradoxes like this are tough. Which is exactly why we need to be gentle.
[HT to Em for sharing the gift of Aldous Huxley]
Colin Steele 