RE: The Subtle or not so Subtle Messages of Lockdown
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Hi to you,
my thoughts to your topic are:
Messages are thrown out and it's up to the individual if one takes them up or leaves them be thrown. From my point of view it's the over-identification with messaging this or that. If you think yourself you are not essential, the messages will be an insult to you. To avoid having to feel the insult, you identify with the term "essential" no matter if you are officially made a member of the essentials or not. So I think it's wise to not pick up the thrown out messages, for they will keep me busy and can lead to behave hostile towards those who easily over-identify with the message. It really is not important who determines whether I am essential or not, for no one can really tell.
If I give power to others to judge over me whether I am essential or not, I may feel that I am a victim. I admit that is a difficult task not to get heated or frustrated by the messages. But I see no other way than to not play this game, but to play another game, instead. The game of being unpredictable to all who believe in predictability. On a non conscious level, I guess, people already do that. They "mask" themselves in a metaphorical way and sail with the wind.
I think the answer is mainly directed at oneself: "Would I have more compassion for one another if the messaging was different?"
My answer is: But I have compassion, more than I usually think I have. I can wish for another messaging, yes, but I can support myself to ignore that I maybe "bad" or a "sinner" or "insane" (and project it onto others), which successfully avoids me to connect to my ability to be compassionate. When I let it happen, I (you) instantly can watch the results, right?
There are days when I am grateful to my oblivious nature so I don't generally notice when things are aimed at me. 😆
With regards giving power to the message, you are, of course, right, but for some it's easier said than done to ignore the messages and not let it get to you, especially if you're in a situation where everything seems to be saying the same to you while beating you down. I would compare it to bullying. Generally if you ignite the bullying or find ways to subvert it, it will generally go away. However, when it doesn't let up and keeps on, day in day out it starts to get to you and wear you down, no matter how upbeat you try to be. When that happens you start to believe it.
Now that is the million dollar question! I think you nailed the crux of it here. This is where watching some people can be like watching my chicken flock. They are all so desperate to feel just a little more important, even if it's just over one other. So when the most picked on flock member sees the newcomer, they delight in having someone they can finally put in their place.
Thank you, I very rarely win the million dollar pot ;-)
Lucky that chickens are chickens and people are people. Otherwise we might as well all be chickens. Although a chicken has little chance of attributing chicken-like characteristics to a human being, conversely, this happens across the entire animal kingdom, that they seem to be humans to us. HaHa!
Of course, how could I disagree with you in what you reply? Sometimes it all becomes too much. Although, I have to say from my experience, it depends on whether I get too fixated on something. The other day, while husband and I were watching funny videos, I pointed to a masked person very far in the background. And my man, "I didn't even see that." I immediately caught myself thinking, "Oh my goodness, you can't pay attention to anything else anymore!"
For me, this is becoming a real Zen exercise, because I want to learn to see the masked people as if they don't disturb me. Who knows when it will disappear from the public eye? I think I'm just torturing myself the most in the process and so I ask myself, "Okay, are you kind of into permanent torture?" Already I regret living in constant worry for the last year and a half, I could have probably spent my time a lot less worried.
That said, I'm far from my ideal: when someone really barks at me, I usually bark back. It's different online, where I can curb my impulses. I rather enjoy testing how much I succeed.
I could be the one shouting around and calling for justice, I've been without a job for many months, sacked for not wanting to wear a mask and test myself. If it was easy to swim against the current in these times, we wouldn't have such a current in the first place. But if I had been in a senior permanent position, I would have tried to have more influence on the upper and lower level. As many people are doing at the moment, rather unrecognised and without hanging it on the bell. They would gain nothing from it, rather the opposite. So everyone has their place in the world and everyone has an importance. Oh... I apologise for my tendency to monologue.
Greet the chickens :)
I love your monologues, so no apology needed. 😁