So much trouble in the world… #082

🎵Bob Marley, 1979

Oh that song takes me straight back to the late 70s, studying for my O’Levels and CSEs, working at my local supermarket and hanging out at youth club. The same year I Don’t Like Mondays, Tragedy and London Calling were in the charts.

Is it just me or are Bob Marley’s 1979 lyrics more relevant than ever? A question that has been swirling around my mind for a while, one I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling.

Perhaps it’s the change of season. The turning on of my central heating. The shortening evenings.

It feels a lot

The world feels like a lot right now. I mean:

I’m an advocate of free speech but how have these two words become synonymous with hate speech?

What can be right about a man being murdered on a university campus for stating his political views, even if they differ dramatically from others?

Why are our politicians unable to see the benefit in cooperation and working together to solve complex challenges at home or abroad? Instead using valuable parliamentary time to defame each other’s character and oneupmanship.

Why is something always somebody else’s fault? What happened to personal and collective responsibility?

Why are we seemingly unable to differentiate between our need for immigration, those seeking political asylum and illegal economic immigration?

Why do we have multiple conflicts led by ageing, power hungry, desperate men intent on holding onto power with seemingly no care about the loss of life in their armed services or those going about their everyday lives?

How can the subjugation of women’s rights, or those that look different to us, have a place in today’s world?

Why do we have kids and adults addicted to their phones, each certain they aren’t, instead of engaging in conversation and interacting with each other?

Why do social media algorithms focus on dialling into to our most negative human reactions, emotions and sentiments?

When did we decide that capitalism and the continued growth of the stock market was more important than the health of our families? Consider Big Food, Big Pharma and Big Tech all of which have the power to do so much good, so why are they doing harm?

What are overseas billionaires doing poking their nose into UK politics?

After the summer we have just experienced, why is climate change crazily slipping down the political agenda with Trump pledging to drill, drill, drill and Kemi Badenoch pledging to drain the North Sea of oil?

All of this and civil unrest in London at the weekend. But why exactly? I can’t be sure but it feels a lot like fear. The fear of ‘others’ taking from us…our jobs, our homes, our national identity, stoked up by those who thrive on division and hate. Fear, and maybe the growing divide between those who have and those who have not. Even the Pope made reference this weekend to some CEOs earning 600 times their lowest worker’s salaries and questioning how this could be right.

Ms Positive Pants

I dunno. I’m Ms Positive Pants most of the time but every now and then…jeez.

As ever, to regain a sense of balance and sanity I’ll resort to my go to strategies to refuel my optimism:

• I’ll remain informed whilst not getting sucked into the 24/7 news ‘entertainment’ cycle.

• I’ll focus on my Circle or Influence, the things I can control, and ask myself - can I do anything about it? If so I’ll do it. If not I’ll try not to worry about it.

• I’ll remember that worrying is like experiencing a difficult emotion twice, with no guarantee the first let alone the second will actually happen.

• I’ll remind myself of all the things I have to be grateful for – my health, my home, my family, my friends, my warm clothes…

• I’ll get outside, move my body and get some fresh air. Or spin insanely at an indoor Cycle class guaranteed to get my endorphins flowing.

• I’ll connect with my friends and family and arrange to go out or have people around.

• I’ll go to one of my favourite coffee shops, enjoy a Long Black and people watch.

• I’ll rewatch the incredible performance of Bohemian Rhapsody from Saturday night’s proms and feel uplifted.

And I’ll count my lucky stars.

I do all of that and it certainly helps.

You

But still I wonder - Are things really worse than the times Bob Marley sung of in 1979? Or is the speed and quantity of news and the way it infiltrates our lives just so omnipresent?

Am I guilty of turning my cheek? Looking away? Being naïve? What can I do? What can I influence? How can I help?

As ever I’m interested in you. Am I just being a misery or -

Do you have a sense of heaviness?

What are your go to optimism inducing strategies?

Do you feel drawn to get involved? If so

How are you doing this?

Pour yourself a tot of your favourite pick me up and drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you.

Remember, you’re never going to be any younger than you are today. What choice can you make this week that will bring you closer to what’s important to you?

Until next week my friends,

Ruth x

If you enjoy reading 1000Weeks it would make my day if you joined the conversation, liked, shared or subscribed. It really does put a skip in my step, thank you ☀️