The Tension...and Potential...of Not Knowing

I know. It’s hard. Things are moving so fast it’s hard to feel a footing. And the media—whatever side you listen to—would have us believe it’s all about to come tumbling down.

Don’t believe them. It’s not about to all come tumbling down.

Yes, things are changing and our Survival and Success Operating Systems don’t like that sensation. The Survival OS is ready to fight or to cower in a corner and ignore it all. The Success OS is ready to jump into action, find the one(s) responsible, and strategize a solution.

But let’s take a breath or two. Most of our reaction comes from feeling that we don’t have control. That someone else is pulling the strings and we can’t guarantee that we will like the results.

Again, take a breath and pull your power back. Things happen all around us all the time. The most potent power we have is to stay present and respond with love.

Many people misinterpret the idea of responding with love as meaning we’re supposed to roll over and let the world slap us around. That is not what I mean.

Responding with love means loving ourselves and being as compassionate as possible to others. It means holding a vision for the best possible outcome and staying present with every shift in the energy so that we can keep responding with love.

I’m reminded of when I was raising my children and the big debate was over parenting styles. Should we be authoritarian? Or should we practice attachment or compassionate parenting? The authoritarians believed that if we gave our children an inch they would take a mile. The compassionate parents believed that the authoritarians were crushing the authenticity out of their children.

I was always confused by this debate. Couldn’t we be compassionate AND hold firm lines?

This is what we are being called to do right now. We need to stay present and aware of all that is impacting us, standing up for ourselves, and our values, and our loved ones without resorting to reactive thoughts or negative judgments of others. We need to assume the best in everyone and everything, while being aware of what may not be working for us. And then, maturely expressing our concerns and preferences.

When we can find comfort in not knowing and not controlling, we open a wide world of potential. New understandings. New solutions. New possibilities. When we can bring our awareness into this present moment, we can become curious and we can ride the waves of the energy that is flowing through our society and our lives.

Not only does this approach to the world feel better, it allows us to be on our toes, take the actions, and say the words we need to stay safe and in alignment.

Our loving and open hearts are our most important asset in these times of change. We can keep our hearts open more effectively when we take good assertive care of ourselves and also maintain our curiosity about what is happening around us.

Let’s breathe ourselves into the present moment together. Every single moment that any one of us can find that sense of stability and alignment adds to the collective sense of stability and alignment.

Our collective stability in the midst of not-knowing creates an opening to glimpse new potential. Breath by breath.

Happy MLK Jr Day to you Tall.