2020: A Time of Highlighting Our Survival Strategy Narratives

By bringing many closer to the mindset of "experiencing one's own mortality", 2020 seems to highlight many of our survival strategy narratives: The things we are fearful of, what we believe to be important, and what we believe are the best ways to go about addressing those things.

Fear-aggression seems rather apparent, where what looks like expressions of dominance and strength are actually signs of underlying feelings of vulnerability. Strong expressions of bravado, brandishing signs and symbols of what look like to be power and strength masking strong underlying feelings of fear...

Fear of the unseen or unknown or unfamiliar... There is fear of an unknown novel threat that increases odds of dying sooner. There is fear of what to do and how to survive with a lack of accessible resources or a lack of monetary means to secure basic needs such as food and shelter. For some there is a fear of unseen systemic forces... a fear of being taken advantage of by the unseen forces of the world at large... Some have a fear of new technologies and their potential effects... Some have fear of medicines and their effects... Some of fear of mainstream thoughts... Some have fear of those they view as having extreme radical thoughts...

And when pushed towards our own edges of fear, so often we can easily be Transformed Into A Source of Fear for others or for ourselves. Our very thoughts can be a threat to Life itself, plunging us into states of mind where our actions begin to have the opposite intended effect: instead of contributing and supporting life as intended by our survival strategy narratives, we can easily become a source of destruction and death ourselves. Fear as a contagion can beget more fear all around. An emotion that is meant to protect us from harm can actually manifest and become a Source of Harm.

As humans who are also social beings, it is our tendency to want to feel affirmed in our own worldviews. We want to feel supported. We will tend to seek out those who support our mental realities, making it more of a physical reality in our minds, being affirmed by others. When we find others who share our own views, we feel like our "truth" is confirmed.

In general we also wish to be seen as "Good", and tend to try to seek out others who will confirm our own "Goodness." The feeling of being "Correct" is often equated as "Being Good" or "Being on the side of Right." Our strong overwhelming desire to be seen as good can become so polarizing that we suddenly become a source of Evil/Bad from another person's perspective. When we ourselves believe in our "Goodness" so strongly that we feel justified in taking action against those we believe to be "Evil", we can easily become a source fear, death, and destruction to others with an opposing viewpoint...

When Consumed By Fear we can view others or the world as a place full of Monsters, and by doing so, we easily become a Monster Ourselves...

A Narrative Question for The Living

Where does this interest, where does this desire possibly lead? What possible paths, what possible beginnings and endings will it create? Should we find out? If so, how can we find out? What are some things we can do to help satisfy and interest or desire?

Gravity and Uncertainty

A gravitational pull
Tugging from my center
Causing collisions
With my fear, my doubts, and my uncertainty

Continuously trying to tread the waters
Traversing the groundless ground
Hoping for a defined direction
Yet never fully knowing
And never feeling fully comfortable...

The only knowing I know...
Is that I must keep moving, keep treading...
Juggling and playing with the tension that rises and falls.

Labels of Identification sometimes Carry Hidden Underlying Attitudes

It seems as if many of the labels we use as a means of identification also carry along hidden undertones and attitudes. Our formed associations can create attitudes held by the person identifying with a label, or it can form attitudes by the people who don't identify with a label. (Inclusion and exclusion)

The most obvious underlying attitudes tend to relate to status. People can identify with a label and feel a sense of "pride". Or a label can also be connected to the opposite, a sense of "shame." Labels are sometimes also automatically given a certain status within a hierarchy, with some labels being given more clout, respect, privilege, etc.

It seems that it is the overall surrounding culture that helps to form the underlying attitudes... and these attitudes have real life consequences on people overall.

Uncertainty: Fishing the Unseen Waters

With uncertainty there are no guaranteed results. We can attempt to put in more effort, more learning, more this or that in help increase our odds... but with uncertainty, even all of that may or may not prove fruitful.

There exists one almost-for-sure-certainty though: Not dipping the line into the unseen waters where sustenance exists, will almost always result in coming up with nothing.

And sometimes sustenance actually exists in the very act itself, rather than the result of the act. To explore, to seek, to take a chance, to ask questions... To Do these things often brings a sense of fulfillment.

Learning sometimes Cuts Off Further Exploration and Learning

As we grow up and develop concepts in our head, our ideas that form sometimes lock us into our notions of the idea itself. I was watching a Ted Talk where the speaker asked the audience to "clap" and make the sound of thunder. She pointed out that adults tended to have a limited idea of how to clap, while children would "clap" in many other ways not considered by adults. Learning how to quickly get on with life, through the formation and reliance on our concepts, sometimes leads to missed opportunities not considered.

The Concept of "Complaining"

For those of us who focus on the idea or concept of "complaining", it implies an underlying belief that it is Not okay to voice one's own concerns, wants, and desires. It implies that we are Supposed To keep those to ourselves. As social beings who depend on each other, it is natural that we express our needs and how we believe others can help to fulfill those needs. There is potential joy to be had for those honoring those requests (the satisfaction gained from knowing we helped to contribute to life), as well as the joy experienced by recipients (knowing that we can count on others to help us and support us along our journey).