How to be happy in the midst of suffering?

The world has indeed gone mad. Driven by greed, hatred, and fear our society feels like its on the verge of collapse. Perhaps all of this is just karma - simple cause and effect. What is the effect of weaponizing xtianity to pillage our planet? What is the effect of committing decades of genocide against the native population of a continent? What is the effect of enslaving, murdering, and hating human beings based solely on the color of their skin? What is the effect of tens of millions of immigrants coming to a country and then once they arrive saying "Okay, now that I am here this is enough!"?

The effect is a white supremacist administration taking over every branch of our government. The destruction of DEI initiatives. The demonization and dehumanization of human beings who just want to be left alone to love their peers and to make decisions about their own bodies - to live in peace. The rolling back and attack on common sense gun laws put in place to try and make our existence in schools and other public spheres marginally safer. And don't even get me started on the wonton unchecked destruction of our planets limited resources that we will soon be facing.

What is driving all this? To boil it down to its most pure and basic ingredient - desire. A desire for wealth. A desire for power. A desire for opulence. In the face of this madness I will ask one question. What do we all have in common?

We will ALL DIE. So, then when the inevitable happens will you take any of what you have so deeply desired with you?

We all know the answer to that... Sadly, not enough of us have stopped for even a moment to ponder our own mortality. Perhaps if we did we would not find ourselves in perhaps the darkest days of the entire history of humankind.

So, how does one find happiness in the midst of this absolute foul crock of shit we find ourselves in? May I posit that it begins (and ends) with love. What is love? There are a whole slew of answers to that question. The answer I prefer is this: to desire the happiness of another. Our incoming cheeto-in-chief is not going to make anyone happier. Sure he may give them what they desire - power, wealth, permission to hate, etc... but in the end that will not lead to happiness.

So, in the meantime - while we watch the world burn literally and figuratively all we can do is promote a lifestyle of peace and love. In the face of unchecked avarice and hate this will prove to be supremely difficult - it may even cost us dearly; perhaps our very lives. Yet it is the only way. If we respond to hate with hate, we are just perpetuating the cycle.

In closing I would say: Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Help where you can. Resist wisely when you can. Talk less and listen more. And above all don't forget to breath! It is the only thing tying us to the hear and now. Namaste 🍆