CARNIVAL

Image from Meta AI at the prompt of Joseph Olejak

I was at the resistance & resilience conference at Powell House this past weekend and here’s what I’m noticing…

The world is a carnival. Or maybe a casino; where the gamblers and the dealers (you can insert Congress, the Judiciary and the Executive branch here) bet on everything.  In 1540 it was the time being "in the flesh" before Lent.  Carne is Latin for meat. Lent was a time of fasting and return to spiritual matters.  

A song comes to mind by Natalie Merchant which I think captures perfectly our present political climate — CARNIVAL 
https://youtu.be/VQ_Wqtnlv4U?si=1-DUYxXbMPhVyCZ5

The lyrics 
Have I been blind, have I been lost
Inside myself and my own mind
Hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen
Have I been wrong, have I been wise
To shut my eyes and play along
Hypnotized, paralyzed by what my eyes have found
By what my eyes have seen
What they have seen?

As I look back on the circus, the carnival and the chaos of the last 10 years I am in a state of wonder— what’s it all for? 
Of course, that environment is ripe for bait & switch, swindling and graft & corruption. 
Haven’t we been hypnotized by it? Dazzled by the spectacle? 

In my way of thinking it might be time to walk out of the circus tent. Lending our time, attention & energy to anything that lacks integrity is not only a waste of time, but it is also a theft from a future that holds more promise.  The circus grabs our attention but steals our spiritual focus away from the things that Spirit is calling us to do. 
WHAT IS THAT WORK? 

• In the realm of SERVICE: it could be caring for those who need nurturing and spiritual guidance.
• In the realm of INTEGRITY: it could be doing the work of transparency where there is just opacity.  I'm talking about our civic life here. 
• In the realm of EQUALITY: it could be creating and standing for a world that works for everyone (not just the few, the moneyed or the well connected) 
• In the realm of PEACE: it might look like actually being a demand for justice and putting an end to killing our brothers
• In the realm of COMMUNITY: it might look like inclusivity ... bringing everyone along. 

My hope is that we are now entering the period of backlash where we've seen enough of the circus.  Where we are really ready to see it pack up and leave town and roll up our sleeves and get down to the real work (not the performative politics) of building a lasting intergenerational society that is far more than something purely transactional.  A time where we turn our hearts and minds toward each other and do the most powerful thing we can do ... face one another and ignore the fire breathers. 
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~ Joseph