elegant aspirations

I was born with a strong sense that life was profound and mysterious. I had an intense desire to connect with something beyond my reach - something on the periphery of my consciousness. Once I learned how to read, I spent hours poring over my family's leather-bound fairy tales, mythology, classical novels, and the King James Bible, searching for clues and revelations about the meaning of life. This pursuit remains with me today.

I was also born knowing something else: I have always understood that life as we know it will unravel in my lifetime, although I didn't know what that would look like. What surprised me as the decades unfolded was that, despite enormous changes, the fundamentals of the system we are part of remained essentially the same. In other words, our structural certainties held firm despite facing massive challenges such as climate change and accelerating inequality.

Now, a few months into 2025, we are engulfed in chaos. Today, we can’t recognize life as usual, and trust evaporates like snow in the sun. We feel increasingly less safe and secure in every way, down to the air we breathe and the water we drink. Lies and illegality have become normalized. The irony is that those who have worked tirelessly to undermine our trust and who are now systematically tearing down our institutions are demanding that we trust them to save us. This is gaslighting at its most deadly, the definition of manipulation and insanity.

Many are asking, what does it all mean? As I mentioned in my article "Keeping Your Sanity: Today's Dilemma," this is a spiritual reckoning, and politics is a symptom, not the cause. So, let's step back and look at how we arrived here.

The capitalist world encourages us to be dissatisfied with what we have and whatever we do. We are programmed to compete to accumulate more and more. It is regarded as particularly admirable if we have destroyed others in the process. Enough is never enough. It's no wonder we have a mental health crisis. In 2024, the US dispensed over two hundred and twenty-one million antidepressant prescriptions. We are programmed to be dissatisfied and self-serving. Just think about that: we are programmed to be dissatisfied and self-serving. How could this possibly end well? 

In addition, we are conditioned to believe that we are never enough and that answers to our problems and solutions for our frailties will be found outside ourselves. This sense of powerlessness leaves us particularly vulnerable to false promises of quick salvation and the worship of neon gods.

Today, that veil is lifting as a direct consequence of the vacuous dark side of self-serving greed struts unashamedly in plain sight. I am witnessing worldwide that many of us are increasingly questioning the notion of living a life driven solely by the accumulation of possessions at the expense of others as the holy grail.

Truth has a way of manifesting regardless of circumstances, and these times are no exception. Manufactured borders and boundaries mean nothing to the impartial mathematical laws of the universe. The sun doesn't choose who to shine on. No amount of bully bluster and the construction of physical structures can alter the fact that working together for mutual benefit strengthens us, and unnecessary discord leaves us weak.   

Here's the good news: Chaos is a catalyst for change and always presents an opportunity. With the acceleration of chaotic events today, there's no time for complacency because what that change will look like is entirely in our hands. The choice is yours. You either give up or step up. 

The key will be resilience. The more resilient we are as individuals, the stronger and more effective we will be collectively. As we know, it's all too easy to feel despairing right now. Here are some ways to strengthen your capacity to weather the chaos as we work together to resist the madness.

Determine your responsibilities and those that aren't yours. Identify what you can control and what you need to release. Within that area of influence, you have numerous options. You contribute to the chaos or play a crucial role in the solution with every choice. This serves as a reminder of just how powerful you are.

It may be a cliché, but there's considerable truth in the saying, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." When the things we've taken for granted for decades are swept away or threatened, their value suddenly skyrockets. Take time to reevaluate your values. What do you value most? What are your priorities today? I would guess things look different now than they did a few months ago. Use this revised list to advocate, serve, and strengthen your resolve.

Most importantly, find your peace in the chaos as best you can. There is no going back. The obstacle is the only way forward. You are not alone. Millions around the globe are embracing the turmoil, coming together, and taking collective action. Take comfort in the wisdom of the Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung, who said, "In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order." This is a golden opportunity to affect the desperately needed changes to create a just and peaceful world for everyone if we choose it.