In the face of relentless global discord, violence, and political paralysis, the purest and most honest response I can articulate is this single phrase:
“I weep”
This is visceral reaction to a world that appears profoundly broken, driven by external and internal forces.
The sense of contemporary global malaise suggests that society is profoundly unwell. We observe daily evidence that people seem to be acting out a type of collective trauma wound. This injury manifests in the most tangible ways on social media and IRL.
The Failures
This reality is defined by dysfunction and cruelty.
Our political systems reflect this breakdown.
A pervasive cynicism suggests that those in power are bullshitting (in the technical sense) rather than arguing for well reasoned policy. Meanwhile, the tech platforms designed to connect us have instead served to only divide us.
This polarization fuels a chilling societal trend where care for the other is the last rather than the first thing offered to repair our fractured collective and seeking to inflict pain is being normalized. The consequences of this failure to care are undeniable and horrific: mass shootings appear almost weekly, and globally, the ability to negotiate peace seems lost, as the end to wars do not appear to be negotiated with earnestness.
Political Reckoning
To pull ourselves back from this societal abyss, we must confront these failures with radical honesty. A prerequisite for progress is admitting fault, rather than continuing to place blame. This requires specific, difficult admissions from across the political spectrum. We might begin with:
- For the left: An acknowledgement that identity politics went too far and became a rhetorical club to beat your opponent.
- For the right: An admission that Republicans are no longer conservative.
We must ask: “Why can’t we admit we failed, apologize and reconcile”? Without such reckoning, the corrosive effects on society will continue unabated.
A Shift in Consciousness
The constant assault of these painful realities has taken a significant toll on our inner landscape. Coined by others as the meaning crisis, the meta crisis, etc. The stress is undeniable, with those seeking help for mental health crises and issues only increasing. This pervasive crisis points toward a deeper phenomenon: the veil between gross and subtle realities might be thinning.
This “veil” refers to the historical psychological and cultural boundaries that separate our waking awareness from the more subtle realities and is manifesting in ways signifying a potential move beyond our current worldview:
- Increased Practice: More individuals are engaging in conscious practices like psychedelics, meditation, and mindfulness, designed to consciously access subtle states.
- Intuition and Synchronicity: A growing number of people report more frequent and intense experiences of intuition, synchronicity, and psychic phenomena.
The sorrow that leads me to cry, “I weep”, is born from failures. Yet, simultaneously, a subtle evolution is emerging. The increasing pain of the external world may be driving us to seek and integrate deeper and more expansive dimensions, which are now closer to the surface than ever before. The challenge remains whether we can use this deepening awareness to repair the profound societal trauma we have collectively inflicted; and whether we can find the Love the universe so desperately wants us to experience.