No time to panic part two

NO TIME TO PANIC—PART 2

Okay what was Part I?  I’m not going to make you go back and look.  In that first part I talked about how  the “Great Depression” created a universal  narrative context for  our culture  and that of several generations to fit into and to draw our personal narratives within.  Unfortunately (or I might argue fortunately) that. Narrative isn’t functioning or functional anymore.  The result of this is that  a whole lot of people are  facing anxiety due to the fact that  our neither our education nor society’s whispers have prepared us to create new functional narratives for our time and our lives.   So as if it’s not bad enough (or good) that we are experiencing the old narrative eroding, we are lacking the tools to  quickly cope with the corresponding ambiguity.

So...that’s where we begin today.  

Building a new narrative.  

Well you may have noticed that. We spend a lot of time these days in the  world of  “I am not!”  So often when in a society  where we have been. Trained to test the null hypothesis we use this. Tactic to find out who we are by eliminating all the I am nots.  The  challenge there of course is that  who or what you are is then defined externally or through comparisons.  This leads to a process of moving to the extremes.  So I’m not dark so I’m light, not soft so I must be hard, I’m not skinny so I’m fat etc... It also leads to  a constant  barrage  of marketers telling.us we’re not  skinny enough, tall enough, clean enough,rich enough etc... In short a lot of our. Social messages are. Telling us how to define what we are not and if  we are going to claim we are not something we must be extremely  not that.  It’s a great  tactic because people want to belong even if they have to  make sure belonging. Guarantees  other folks. Cannot.  

In short we spend most of. Our time constructing  our lives around who and what we are not in order to eliminate the anxiety of not knowing.

Eventually adopting all the I am nots wears out most people and lacking the  energy or tools to start creating a world that reflects who we are or. Could be, we simply give  up and that’s when we start hearing —“IT IS WHAT IT IS”. While that is. A great if you come to that after a lot of observing, howe3ver one day you will wake up and realize it isn’t what it was. 

Now..I claimed I was going to give you some new tools and so here they  come....

Put on your  favorite  red and white striped top hat and say the following

Who we are the world forgot

But I am not who I am not

But if not that  then who’ll I’ll be

It’s not up to  them, it’s up to me

While I explore and I decide 

Don’t  claim I’m for the other side

I may be neither  this nor that

I may wear yet a third hat 

Since we are not really living under a solitary narrative in our world and certainly not in our country you have an opportunity to form your own.  You can follow someone else’s  or join with others and that is absolutely needed at some times.  Just remember you are making that choices and you are the decision maker when it comes to what experiences mean to you.  

Since  we are all out there trying to redefine some. Things, treat each new day as an exzperiment where the goals are exploring, describing, and understanding not. Predefining testing and  controlling.  In short build your narrative by asking the  questions and observing the answers instead of  having an answer and looking for proof you are  right, because when you are  wrong you will create more anxiety not peace.  

Biew your  days as if you are an orchestra  conductor...you can shape the sound of the entire song of life, however, accept that the viola and the kettle drum will always sound  like the viola and the kettle drum and yet you can add or subtract instruments as you  go.  Remember that “with” and because of” are two different things.  You will want to experience life with others, yet peace and joy does not come because of others.  Your willingness to be with others in the moment shapes  your narrative even as you create it’s meaning.  

Alright...that’s k probably enough to chew on for today.  I’ll end today with a  little task for you—one that I have. Found really helpful.  Imagine you  have the chance to write a letter that will be delivered to  yourself at age 15, what would you say in three sentences?  Now. Imagine you  needed to write a letter to the person you will become 15 years from now..What. Three or four sentences would you  share?

Tomorrow there will be some more  ideas about building a narrative and a few final thoughts on the power. You have as. A creative soul.

For now..have fun time traveling.