I tend to be a reactionary and emotional person. I think it’s probably safe to say we all are; that is our nature as human beings. Sometimes this is a very helpful tactic in times of conflict. We can react very quickly which drives our actions and this can be useful. But I think far too often we react before really taking the time to think rationally, and this can get us into some trouble.
Recently I received a pair of shoes and was surprised at the shape of the shoe. Immediately I jumped to conclusions that they weren’t going to fit, and without properly trying them on, low and behold my toes were hanging off the front. I didn’t take the necessary time to strap these shoes on, I had already been hit with a wave of disappointment. I had waited a long time and spent a lot of money for these shoes, and they didn’t fit! Before I had time to think about my actions, I sent an e-mail to the company telling them how disappointed I was.
The way I handled this situation was purely reactionary. I didn’t rationally think, well maybe if I strap the shoe one, or if I play with the straps a bit moving the lengths from one area to another, they will fit better. No, my mind was made up that these were a failure, and nothing was going to help them. And I was angry! So angry that all rationale was clouded.
Once my emotions dissipated, I continued to try on the shoes, each time being somewhat disappointed. But they were getting better. Over time, and after sleeping on it, I tried them on again and decided to mess with the straps. This really did the trick! They fit perfectly now, but the damage has already been done. I already reacted emotionally to this problem and now feel like a fool in doing so.
The point is, I, perhaps like many others, am so quick to react with my emotions. I let my emotions run the show, without taking some time to calm down, blow off steam, and let some logic come back into the picture.
I think this is happening a lot these days. People who are not agreeing on something they see online, or what someone else posts, are so quick to react, quite emotionally and sometimes very meanly about what the other had to say. We think we know everything in that moment and are fooled by our emotions into believing we know exactly how should react. When really that isn’t who we are at all. We would never say something like this in any other circumstance. But in this reactionary moment, we feel it is appropriate! So strongly in fact that we dare not wait for we will lose this fire!
It’s funny, sometimes I think we need exactly the opposite. Instead of using this firey emotion as fuel to our reactions, maybe we all need to just take a chill pill and relax. Don’t worry, you can get back to it later, it’s not going anywhere. We try to trick ourselves into believing now is the time and only time we can say this or else it’ll be gone. Yes, that’s true, it will be gone. Maybe for the better.
And this got me thinking. This reactionary being we all step into, is this fueled by social media? Is it possible, social media was designed to put us in this type of state to wage war on one another? I wouldn’t put it past the creators of these platforms. Divide and conquer. Because the billions of people on this planet are quite fragile when they all hate each other.
So this brings me to another idea. Maybe it is a good time to get off of social media for a bit, and spend some down time with nature, with people around us in real time. We don’t have to lose touch with our friends as some might be frightened about. We just need to take time to reevaluate our selves and our community. But most importantly, take time to be with the earth. I feel she has many answers if we quiet down and simply listen.
I think taking the time to slow down to the rhythm of the universe will help us find our center and think more clearly about what is happening. Isn’t it interesting that being in nature helps us calm down and find our balance so naturally? Why do you think that is? Perhaps the beat of the earth is as such that we as humans, coming from the same source, can’t help but beat along with her drum. This beat is where we find our truth, but it takes effort from us to rediscover it rather than getting caught up in the whirlwind of our own foreign minds.
Perhaps simple awareness of this fact is enough: that we all are created from the same entity, the same source. We are all intricately connected on a much deeper level than we ever thought possible. That sometimes our minds deceive us and play tricks on us trying to make us forget this truth. But we cannot forget it because it runs so deep in our body, our nature.
Maybe next time we find ourselves emotionally heated and ready to react to the next thing we feel we need to take control of, we let go, see the emotions for what they are, and step back into balance, into our truth which is the truth of the universe. In these moments we can step into nature, reconnect and rediscover our selves and our oneness with everything. Maybe in this state we can find peace and love because those things are inside us; they are us. Here we can see that we are innately divine beings meant for so much more than we’re given credit for. Perhaps in this state we can discover what our purpose really is.
