Comfort Interrupted…
I’ve often been told that as humans we adapt to life’s ebb and flow. Even though some parts of me would like to refute this, deep down I believe it to be true.
Some time ago I listened to a podcast and the host commented that when things render you powerless, adapting to the “thing” happens subtly. Usually its without permission, but steady enough for change to occur good or bad, over the course of time.
The podcast host used this reference to segue into having lived near a railroad track. He mentioned that early on hearing the trains deafening roar was a total nuisance. It wasn’t until a friend stopped by for a visit and questioned his tolerance to withstand the ungodly commotion that it dawned on him how unnerving the sound had become. As he retold the story, he noted that the shift was gradual. He had reached a point where the sound no longer controlled him, eventually lifting his despondency.
Comparatively speaking, I thought of this podcast as it relates to this chapter of life.
I went back to fifteen months ago, March 2020 to be exact. When talk of the coronavirus first occurred and the statewide shut down and mask mandate became an agonizing reality. The stress and tethered emotions that went along with complying with new narratives was a lot to bear. So much so that there were days that the news felt like trauma porn and was quite overpowering to watch. Weekly there were laundry lists of things we could not do or places we could not go. In addition, there was the constant increase in the rise of the death toll from the virus. Daily it felt like our world was in a state of mourning, and to some degree that feeling still lingers.
And here we are, the coronavirus is still lurking, and civil unrest is a continuum. In conversations with friends and relatives, shared emotional exhaustion remains front and center.
What I can say is in spite of the heaviness, things are not exactly easier, however I do feel less apprehension if that makes any sense. I find that I am no longer in a panic induced coma about what’s to come. To say I have become like the podcast host would be a stretch. I am not quite comfortable with discomfort.
Initially I had hoped the world would go back to normal or what was perceived as normal. Now I’ve come to realize that this idea would be of benefit to no one.
For years I prided myself on always taking the high road and being able to see the glass half full in mostly everything. I’ve since come to terms with this robotic-stepford thinking and can now willingly admit this to be vexedly skewed.
I believe the country has reached its breaking point. There is absolutely no way to force the toothpaste back into the tube. The issues at hand demand a reckoning that we all must grapple with.
In refusing to take notice, hear, and comprehend I do believe this is how we have arrived at this place.
Being consistently comfortable has caused us to not see the obvious poisons all around us. Lord knows there are many to choose from. From the recent debacle of states fighting Critical Race Theory (CRT), to Jim Crow 2.0 (aka voting rights disenfranchisement), to the NFL and “race-norming.” Daily these conversations seem almost comical that society continues to engage in white nationalist behaviors.
For obvious reasons people are still hung up on race and make no qualms about creating a equitable and inclusive society.
We cannot be like the podcast host and readily ignore what is clearly visible. We’ve done this for far too long.
Denial hurts us all. No longer can we turn a deaf ear to what’s going on around us. By now the sights and sounds should be jarringly painful.
The time has come for us to not only imagine the world that we want to live in but now is the time to begin building that world regardless of who approves or disapproves. The time has come to stop seeking approval from the powers that be. We must put our begging bowls down, roll up our sleeves and give birth to new visions. It has never been more clearer that the time is upon us. The time is now! ©
