Fear

Faux Bro Foes

The two guys

disguised

as allies

are desperate;

each 

an inveterate

psychopath

full of

wrath.

Poor guys….

They need

to be 

assured

there

will be

weaponry,

and who better

than the other

outlier

liar.

If Anton Chigurh

and Darth

Vader

met for dinner

in no country

for old men

looking

for an empire

to strike

back

in case 

of attack,

one could

fear

what would

appear

as the two

worst

of the worst

could together

strike

first.

The Evil

Empire

just got eviler

or cozier

with the devil

only Trump

claims

to love.

But above

it all,

the small

men 

meeting

looks

defeating;

like 

there’s 

no one

left

to pick

for the

team.

Putin’s war

is bleeding

him,

so why not

Kim

to help 

him win?

Look how 

tough

guys

can surprise

and scare

us.

Double

trouble?

A happy

couple?

Will Trump

make a

thruple?

Our foes

have

weapons

and no

congress

to discuss

and digress

causing

extraneous

distress

which we

confess

is our own

worst

enemy.

Ourselves.

We are 

squandering

our riches

while

fearing

the bitches,

Kim and Vlad.

They had

to pretend

to extend

a treaty,

extending

fealty

to fear.

What

democracy

holds

dear,

is clear:

transparency.

And though

we are fighting

against

corruption

and autocracy

in the making

here,

we can

spot 

the veneer

of faux-reality.

Only the weak

speak

of conspiracy

fueled by

lunacy.

We know 

the show

and the faux

news

that does 

not amuse

but freaks

us out.

Without

clout,

the villains

shout,

either

literally

or with

weaponry,

which

is definitely

scary.

But our

foes

are also

frozen

with fear,

having

chosen

to subjugate

their own

and sown

their fates

inside their

own gates

of hell. 

Choice Cuts

Fear always

feels 

like avoiding 

suffering.

Putting up 

a wall

shutting out 

that visitor

who stays 

too long.

Maybe suffering

is a ghost;

a memory

that haunts

with threats

of incapacitating

or decapitating

abilities.

Suffering

is the evil

twin

of resilience.

Sapping

strength,

balance,

and agility,

suffering

conquers

us 

and 

is

an identity

thief.

It’s got

our 

number:

Persistently 

calling

us

to answer

their scam,

distracting 

us

incessantly 

from 

the rest

of life.

Resilience 

acknowledges

pain

and 

has space

for choice.

Suffering

devours

choice 

and 

hope,

limiting

possibility

to be

otherwise.

Resilience

remembers

accomplishment

with pain

and the possibility

of overcoming

overwhelming

experiences.

Suffering  is

a condition.

Pain is

an experience,

perhaps prolonged,

and even

from

a condition,

that is a part

of life—

not the experience

of life

itself. 

Pain 

is

a fact.

Suffering 

is 

a choice.

Fear and Anger

Fear and anger 

are fossil

fuels

polluting

with energy,

altering

climate

in ways

that make

worsening

storms

increasingly

likely.

They sit

there

lurking

beneath

the surface

of life

as

we drill

through strata

of substance

for stuff

that lubricates

ego.

No sense

of

consequence

while burning,

assuming 

necessity

for existence.

Because 

this is

all

there is,

while we

elongate

the moment.

The mantra

of now

forgets;

and lacks

imagination, 

but mostly

lacks

humility.

Prepare For Good Luck

I always prepare for good luck. Now, we are all truly preparing for good luck. My fear, aside from loved ones becoming sick with COVID19, and an even more unmanageable situation in hospitals and throughout, is that we begin to fear one another even more than we did. I fear that the virus will be a brand, like HIV-AIDS was. Despite the more ubiquitousness of COVID19, people who are not (yet) sick, may have a false sense not only of security, but of ability.

I fear that people may begin to regard those who are sick and not in the most vulnerable demographics as being worthy of condemnation or suspicion, merely for becoming sick. I fear the original usage of social distancing. I fear our loss of compassion just as we were beginning to find some. 

There is much to fear at this moment, as so much is beyond our control. While attempting to stay informed, I confess that I protect my fragile psyche with not entertaining thoughts about the looming disaster while still doing whatever I can within reason to ensure comfort and endurance, at least for the next couple of weeks at a time. It’s all I can do. (That, and utter gratitude for all that I have.)

I have always felt incredibly lucky. That doesn’t mean that there has never been effort or challenge. Of course there has been plenty, like anyone else, and I know that pain and suffering—physical and mental–are debilitating. Too often I have been fearful, which is its own form of pain and suffering, and exacerbates all conditions. It distorts and diminishes possibility. It infects on top of infections. And when fear arises within me, I feel powerless.

I am not unafraid of the possibilities of bad luck in this time of COVID19, but I am not particularly afraid. That could change at any time, of course, but now I am mostly afraid of fear (thank you, FDR), and what suffering it causes. 

Much has already been acknowledged about how much has been laid bare as we are scrambling to prepare for good luck across the globe, but especially across the USA. The crisis will not be forever, but who knows how long temporary is? The dire prospects are most unsettling, even imagining the aftermath. As we have seen before, the possibility of compassion and responsibility redefining us as we meet this novel virus is upon us. There is also the possibility of being overwhelmed by fear and losing our greatest strength, our compassion.

We are social beings who can’t be social right now. Our social distancing is, ironically, a way to be social while attempting to mitigate exposure to the virus. As we are beginning to meet this challenge and be prepared, prepare to dig deep to mitigate fear. Be compassionate to yourself and others, and prepare for good luck. 

Future Tense

It used to be that the future was exciting.  Of course, that was in the past. Now, in the present, yesterday’s future, we fear the future. Whether it’s: terrorism, nuclear obliteration, the next super-bug, or super-storm; climate change, crushing debt, or no more jobs; politicians who don’t stand for us, corporations who speak over us, horse meat and hormones, or unriching education, we are growing increasingly more tense about the future.

We have ample evidence today that we have many issues to tackle.  Even more disconcerting, is the rationale against tackling issues. We see how seemingly intractable so many problems have become. People across the political spectrum have dug in their heels, and have been most concerned with ideological purity and political power. Instead of climbing mountains, or even seeing that shining city on a hill, we’re staring down fiscal cliffs. Cynics have divided us into makers and takers (although I’m not sure everyone would agree who’s who). Hope and change became nope and same. Everyone is disgusted and fearful.

Despite the reality upon which our fears are based, we are becoming blinded by the fear. When teaching History to high school students, I remind them of other periods when the world seemed like it was about to end, or at least had turned very dark. When they can imagine their grandparents’ world, and that life continued, and the future included their lives, they can begin to shift their perspectives.

History is a great teacher. So too are the arts. The combination is most effective in conveying ways in which humans have confronted issues and experienced difficulties and forged new ways to shape lives and communities. I encourage teachers to include paintings and music, as well as dance and theatre in their History classes. I also encourage a fusion of History with Math and Science, and of course integrating the arts in those classes as well. Perspective is important in each subject (and in life), and is easily exemplified in the arts. Students in Language Arts classes learn perspective (person) in grammar and literature (through character and voice). Education is not merely the accumulation of facts. It is in fact to enrich (not unrich) our lives; to broaden our perspectives.

As a nation, we have been struggling with accountability in education. Students are assessed; teachers are assessed; and schools are assessed. I’m not sure that our assessments are  actually geared toward improving education, despite the good intentions. Moreover, the focus on those assessments as the determiners of future status for students, teachers, and schools, has created greater tension and a more limited education.

Given the many challenges that we must meet in our schools, our communities, our politics, and in all aspects of our lives, it is easy to be cynical and fearful. When we are fearful, we shut down possibilities. When we nurture our creative instincts, we begin to think in the future tense, creating possibilities and improving  what was started.