Not to sound like a stereotypical white millennial, but I subscribe to a psuedo Buddhist/daoist/stoic mindset in most aspects of life. When it comes to personal problems, I can normally step away from my emotions, look at things clearly, and then come back to a certain level of equanimity with whatever transpires and feel a sense of connection and empathy with others while also validating those initial emotions. Many things I used to get worked up over seem silly, not because the world is dumb and pointless but because everything is exactly as it's meant to be.
When it comes to politics however, it's really hard to maintain this equanimity. Sure, this might be a product of the 24 hours news cycle meant to polarize us and make us froth at the mouth at the republicans, the democrats, the rich, the poor, the foreign, what have you. And sure, this desire for equanimity is also a trap because it is a desire. But there has to be some way to hold the evil accountable while also acknowledging the indefiniteness of "good" and "evil", being able to organize and make tangible material changes while also accepting there is no struggle, that these problems are not real and our biggest fight is with our sense of separation.
. Idk I see these pro lifers rallying against Roe and there's a part of me full of rage and other part of me that wants to understand the underlying pain, real or imagined (although the difference doesn't really matter), and connect beyond the political divide towards our innate humanness and the collective consciousness we are a part of. But I also don't want to ignore the real pain and suffering of the poor, the down trodden, the exploited all in the name of making myself feel better.
Has anyone any advice on maintaining a sense of this equanimity while also continuing to see the world through a materialist ML lens? Maybe I'm just high as hell so sorry if this makes zero sense.
I experienced Ego Death years back and it really threw me for a loop trying to circle the square, as it were, but two quotes really helped me.
Idk where this one is from, but it's basically, "before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water."
"When the Buddha declares there is escape from sorrow, the escape is Nirvana, which is not a place, like heaven, but a psychological state of mind in which you are are released from desire and fear. And your life becomes harmonious, centered and affirmative. Even with suffering.
The Buddhists speak of the bodhisattva - the one who knows immortality, yet voluntarily enters into the field of the fragmentation of time and participates willingly and joyfully in the sorrows of the world." Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
Of course, that was quite sometime ago and I am mostly rage now, but that's kind of my participatory driver. All things are exactly as they should be in this present moment... but the other people of this world, who are also me, are suffering needlessly and FUCK THAT SHIT. :fash-bash: are the fash also me? Yes, but sometimes I need to discipline myself.🤷♂️
It should be noted that I do consider violence a last resort sort of thing and most of my energy is dedicated to understanding consent manufacturing and behavior manipulation via media. Which is why you will often see me trying to implore the need for organized brigading... but things are getting dark and there is a deadline looming on humanity... :fidel-bat: