Smile! Things aint so bad!

Unfortunalty we live in a place where we could most certainly post after post of things that will hurt us emotionally and spiritually and even moraly. (its called news) So what can we post to build rather? any takers?

My feelings are this. Mass media and terrorism have the same language: fear. They want us to be afraid. Fear is quite an extraordinary thing, since it makes people do things they wouldn't otherwise do.

Fear is why a mediocre artist from Austria plunged the world into flames and sent millions to their deaths. Fear is why a death cult claiming to be an Islamic caliphate has managed to take control of territory spanning multiple countries, and in the process has killed countless thousands and reduced many more to homeless, wandering refugees. Fear is why there is applause and cheers when today's politicians demonize a people whose only fault is being different, somehow, from the others.

The narrative of fear is that the world is in unprecedented chaos, and that only this politician, or that religious sub-sect, or this consumer product, or that belief system will keep you safe. It effectively reduces us to empty shells, mindlessly chasing whatever remedy there is for that fear, everything else be damned. I'll freely acknowledge that our world is broken and has always been this way. But it doesn't have to stay this way and it certainly doesn't have to get worse.

We can't let that narrative shake us at our core. I know how easy it is to be scared — I'm a chronic worrier after all. It is difficult, even for me, to follow the words of that rather famous teacher who said, "Be not afraid!" But I don't just believe in the cliched aphorism that "love can conquer hate." I believe love will conquer hate. That belief takes me out of my fear, it gives me a sense of urgency and passion (a passion that I take too far, I admit, as my posts in this thread are an example of), in trying to make things better.

Isn't building a better world what we're here for? Isn't it fatalistic to accept that we can do nothing about it, and that the world will continue on some death spiral into oblivion? We *can* do something about it, starting with ourselves and our communities. What form that takes is up to the individual, but I think it starts with simply believing we can and will be better than this, and rejecting the narrative of fear that has been foisted upon us.

Adi wrote: That my lack of civility here is more important to you than Streen's disrespect for the dead says a lot about your priorities, Trisskar.

.........wow.... :dry:

Streen wrote: 2 explosions at Brussels Airport, 1 at subway station; 26 killed

You were saying?

Bad stuff happens. Always has, always will. That's life. I don't like it. Never will but I will always move forward and will always have hope.

Emotions are high right now because of the attack. We might want to take a step back and realize that we are not each other's enemies. Nothing will be solved by hurting each other here.

*comforts you, no matter who you are*

I heard someone say once that Jedi were just trying to be emotionless Vulcans. I’m not sure if this person was really up on their sci-fi!

But, more to the point, Jedi are not emotionless. In fact, we love and embrace our emotions. The experience of them, savoring the ones we like and learning from the ones we don’t like as much. We have them. We will have them. I hope. And we can share them and learn from them and enjoy them. But what I try, I said try… not to do is let them rule us.

Living life from one moment to the next in an attempt to avoid uncomfortable emotions and only pursue the ones that make us feel good is ultimately a loss. For several reasons I would hope are apparent. But letting negative emotions lure us into doing something we know isn’t for our betterment or others. In other words, letting our emotions lead us to doing something as in to lash out or strike at someone is not what we strive for.

I meant no disrespect to those who suffered the terrorist attack, nor was I making light of it. It's horrible. It just seemed relevant and strangely "coincidental". I think I'll leave it at that because, as has been said, this thread has spiraled off in the wrong direction.

I do believe we can make the world better. The argument started on the point that the world is getting better, which is hard to see with all the violence shown in the media.

I apologize for my involvement on the negative points, but I feel like the world is going to get worse before it gets better.

I do believe we can make the world better

All those in favor say aye!

Rickie wrote:

I do believe we can make the world better

All those in favor say aye!

Streen wrote: I meant no disrespect to those who suffered the terrorist attack, nor was I making light of it. It's horrible. It just seemed relevant and strangely "coincidental". I think I'll leave it at that because, as has been said, this thread has spiraled off in the wrong direction.

I do believe we can make the world better. The argument started on the point that the world is getting better, which is hard to see with all the violence shown in the media.

I apologize for my involvement on the negative points, but I feel like the world is going to get worse before it gets better.

What I dont get is how you can say this. You have been shown in many ways that we are getting less violent. That we are living longer, that we have more to eat and better medical care etc. So I dont understand why you insist it is or will get worse when all evidence points the other way.