elegant aspirations

It’s breathtaking to consider how little our lives today resemble what they were just a year ago, a timeframe that now feels like a lifetime. Continuing the analogy, it’s as if a storm has blown us far off the course we had mapped out, leaving us to navigate uncharted waters without any idea of what lies ahead. All we can be sure of is that we have left behind the apparent “safety” of the past, and not only can we not return, but those old world constructs now exist only in our collective memory.

These are truly unprecedented times. While this phrase has been repeatedly used to describe the last few years, it remains accurate. Global forces beyond our control collide, creating a perfect storm that profoundly disrupts the natural world and artificial systems. This disturbance is impacting everything we do now and will shape everything we do in the future.

As these volatile waves buffet us, there are moments when the waves crest and when we glimpse a new and potentially optimistic horizon. However, the inevitable trough that follows plunges us back into darkness and disorientation, making it difficult to regain our bearings. One moment, we might feel excited, curious, and ready for something new; the next, we might feel fearful and ill-prepared for what lies ahead. It’s a wild ride, leaving many of us feeling anxious, restless, and unsettled.

This journey is unavoidable; we cannot escape it. Our best course is to work with it. One way to achieve this is to perceive this time as a gift, offering us the opportunity to take a personal inventory of our beliefs and behaviors. If the new world is to be one where we can all thrive, it will demand more from us than the old world ever did. Love is all we need; it’s more important to be kind than correct, and we must care for others as we wish to be cared for. These aren’t just idealized concepts anymore; they are vital for survival.

The exquisite beauty of this situation is that it is self-sustaining. We don’t need to worry about running out of love, kindness, or empathy unless we choose to cut ourselves off from these qualities. We can embody love, kindness, and empathy by choosing to do so.

This abundant perspective frees us from the exhausting and destructive nature of unhealthy competition and the tendency to create enemies to blame for our troubles. There is so much untapped talent in the world that shifting our focus from a love of power over others to harnessing the power of love, which is inclusive and empowering, can only benefit us all on our unprecedented journey toward the new world that awaits us on the horizon.