What Can I do in this Age of Upset?

It seems, metaphorically, that it's all thunder and lightening right now. It seems, if we only focus on a narrow spectrum of life, that it's all stress and terribleness happening. I don't mean to discount anything and say that it's not that way. I don't mean to say that the thunder and lightening aren't important. They are. They can cause great destruction.

But, I seem to keep living my life anyway. I think that living the way that Ralph Waldo Emerson talked about in this quote that I read in the Daily Optimist newsletter is one way to cope in this time that some are calling the Kali Yuga: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” The question then, I suppose is what will it mean that I have lived and lived well and that by doing so I have made a difference? (The Kali Yuga was predicted in Hindu writing as the 4th and final age before the start of the cycle of ages starts again, if I understand this correctly.)

One way that I keep coming back to do this is to somehow bring light into the world through my words, actions and emotions. By letting my spirit in all it's glory act in the world. I believe that the more of us that can act with a compassionate heart, the more light comes into the world. The more light, the more enlightenment hopefully.

Some of this means being mindful, I think. Mindful of what we think, what we say, and how we act. I wish I could say that I am mindful at every moment, but I'm not. I am working on this, which is all any of us can do -- keep working on this. (I suppose it's a mindfulness practice to be aware when we are not practicing mindfulness.)

And, in the meantime, I think living with hope is

also a good practice. Without hope, we can fall into despair. We can then give up when we fall into despair. We can decide there's nothing we can do to help, that signing petitions, voting and the like are useless. That seems to me that this means "they" win, however they is for you. We can also trust that the various prophecies of the Native Americans, the Hindus and other peoples around the world are true -- that the destructive age will end and we will shift into an age of enlightenment. We can be like this butterfly trusting that the cat won't harm it when it sits on the cat's nose. As Tina Turner says on the album, Beyond, "Love grows when you trust. When you trust love heals and renews. Love inspire us and allows us to do great things. And makes us a better person to love...." We can each be someone who brings love into the world. What greater thing is there to do in this life?

Love doesn't only mean romantic love. It's the love of parents and children for each other. It's the love for friends. It's wanting the best for everyone even if we don't like them. 

So, I suppose what I can do is try to live the life Ralph Waldo Emerson talked about, while trying to bring light into the world in the way that I can, to be someone who wishes the best for everyone. As my friend said to me a couple of weeks ago, be someone who does no harm (or being human, as little as possible).

Just as an aside, Bibhu Dev Misra states in an article on Graham Hancock's website that the Kali Yuga will end in 2025. It would be lovely if it could be determined that precisely. I just hope the shift has started even before then. 

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The first photograph is by Brandon Morgan. The second is by Andrik Langfield-Petrides. The fourth is by Karina Vorozheeva. I found all 3 on unsplash.com. The third image is from my book, Opening the Heart: Meditations on How to Be. For information on the book, click here.

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