I am convinced that unless and until we begin paying attention to the Necessity of Transition when facing the "mean times" of life, we may be doomed to perpetually re-live and repeat our collective history as a species, walking ever closer toward the brink of self-annihilation — until the day our fragile "failsafe" plans FAIL and we find ourselves floating among the cosmic dust! Wow! How about THAT for a positive beginning? I promise . . . in the end, this message will present a more hopeful path to follow!
In my last posting, I introduced what I believe to be perhaps the most crucial element of all when it comes to dealing effectively with the "mean times" we experience — the Transition! I am under no illusion that what I write here today will immediately be hailed as the end all peace plan for the world! That would mean that I am in the midst of the world’s biggest "BALD MOMENT!" (Never heard of a bald moment? I am sure you have heard of "Blond Moments," right? Well, a "Bald Moment" is similar, it is just more intense and it lasts longer!") . . . . OK! . . . . What I DO hope to accomplish here is plant a few seeds that might germinate, take root and grow to maturity in at least a few lives.
More often than not, societies and cultures all over the world and throughout history have fallen into the trap of moving rapidly from the Event (or "mean time" in life) to the Continuation with little thought about all the potential ramifications of the situation that occurred or the actions that follow. When that kind of movement takes place, individuals, governments, societies and cultures find themselves generally Reacting to the situation at hand rather than Responding to it. Often, the person or group with the loudest voice; the biggest gun; the toughest knuckles; the most influence, power or money (read "intimidation"); the seemingly most "together" plan of action; or the ability to tap the collective "fear pool" of the masses will lead the rest to act without truly thinking — often with long-term disastrous outcomes.
What are some of the results of such reactions? Well to name a few — retaliation; misdirected anger; rageful assumptions; hatred; depersonalization; villainization; catastrophizing; prejudicial perceptions; bigotry; egocentrism; discrimination. The list could honestly go on for quite a while but I think you get the picture.
Now I’m not saying that Reacting is completely bad — not at all! Our bodies have natural defense reactions that serve to keep us safe and healthy in the short term; however, when these natural reactions that are meant to be situational and temporary are not turned off they begin to take on a life of their own, growing and spreading until they become destructive. What I AM saying is that we need to spend a little more time checking our reactions to make sure the path down which they direct us is indeed the best one.
Without going into a "brief history of the world" — which is frankly impossible in such limited space — I think I am able to safely assume that most of the conflicts between individuals; kingdoms; states; countries; ideologies; philosophies; theologies; economies, etc. throughout history have at their root some Event (a.k.a. "mean time") that has created a specific difficulty or set of difficulties to which one group then Reacts forcing the momentum to move right into the Continuation with little or any attention given to the words in red from the last posting — the words that go along with the Transition — thus setting the scene for conflict on a larger scale!
In order for the Necessity of Transition to be inserted into its rightful place in this equation there must be a natural segue that causes us to consider the inherent power of the Transition. That natural segue is found in a law so simple we often overlook its pervasive presence in the world.
I am hopeful that what I write next will not be viewed as "simplistic" because there is tremendous power in the natural law to which I now refer. That law is called The Law of the Harvest. Essentially the Law of the Harvest is this: You harvest what you plant. You harvest more than you plant. You harvest later than you plant. Although this law is "rooted" in agriculture — in other words, you plant a kernel of corn that produces a single stalk bearing multiple ears of corn that are made up of hundreds of individual kernels of corn . . . you get the picture — its applications cover all areas in life. Relationships; thoughts; actions; attitudes; beliefs; words; perceptions; self-awareness; decisions; etc. are all governed by this natural law.
Imagine what might happen if when we hear words that offend us, we were to pause and reflect on the long-term ramifications of the Law of the Harvest as it relates to what we do next and instead of reacting, take the time to consider our alternatives, process through the transition and choose instead to respond. I know that sometimes this path can appear to be weak and cowardly; however, in reality it often takes more courage, resolve and self-knowledge to take the higher road. Obviously I am not saying that we should stand and take abuse — that flies in the face of personal integrity. Just like the body has natural defense reactions, we must take defensive steps at times in order to survive. What I am saying is that once we are "safe" and in a stable place, we owe it to ourselves and others under our influence to use the time of Transition as the Segue to Successful Living!
We can control our personal destiny to a certain degree if we use the Law of the Harvest to move us into the Transition before seeking to continue on. We always have choices as to how we respond; however, in order to get to the place of response, we must spend time in the Transition. Remember! How we Transition from one place to the next determines how well and to what degree with Continue on with life in healthy ways.
Here is the challenge: Take one — just one — area of your life in which you feel that you spend more time simply reacting and therefore repeating an unpleasant history. Determine what kind of alternate positive outcome you would like to experience. Decide to begin planting seeds (words, actions, thoughts, goals) that are consistent with that outcome. Remind yourself that it will take time to redirect your habit. Commit to cultivate the new direction along the way for the duration (set a time frame in which you will work). Then reap the benefits of spending time in the Transition.
I wish you success in your gardening!
Peace!
Mark
P.S. ~ Here are the words in red if you have forgotten them: I am firmly convinced that it is not the fact that difficulties in life assault our collective and individual psyches that creates the biggest problems for us! No, I believe that our biggest problems come when we fail to take the time necessary to slow down a little; assess the situation at hand; tend to the immediate needs we have; grieve, cry and mourn over the changes brought on by the assault; inventory our available resources; ask new questions or at least old questions in new ways; re-group and rally support; devise a plan of action; and merge back into the traffic of life knowing that we have the ability to choose how we respond to life’s assaults — the "mean times!"
Copyright 2008 Mark E. Hundley
