DRINKING FROM AN EMPTY GLASS

Yes, I know the government is corrupt. Yes, I know there are people conspiring. Yes, I know people can lack integrity. Yes, I know that western culture is materialistic. Yes, I know that corporations are self-serving. Yes, I know that the media is manipulative. Yes, I know it is hard to trust love. Yes, I know that it can be difficult to believe in God. I share many of your concerns.

And I also know that we cannot change the world without acknowledging what is wrong. I know that we must stand against that which shames, oppresses and damages humanity. I know that we should not ignore the injustices and put on a fake smile. I know that we must find our voice and stand our ground. I know that we must fight for our right to the light. I believe deeply in forward moving criticism.

But something doesn’t feel quite right. You complain all the time. You have made negativity a full time job. You don’t make an effort to find solutions. You blame everything on the world out there. You don’t actually do anything positive to effect change. And you seldom acknowledge the positive steps humanity has made. You seldom acknowledge the beauty around you. You almost never see the light in the darkness.

I know something from my lived experience. I know that the light is always there. It is there, in the breath that keeps you alive, in the smile of a child, in the yet another chance to find your path. It is there in the rise of the feminine, in the therapeutic revolution, in the burgeoning quest for authenticity. If you can’t see it, then the issue is a personal one, for there are signs of progress everywhere.

And I also know from a lifetime of overcoming that is possible to hold it all at once. To fight against injustice while still embodying the light. To see where we are lacking, while rejoicing in our abundance. To express our anger, and to live our gratitude. To feel overwhelmed by an unfair world, while still achieving our goals. To see how far we have yet to travel, while applauding how far we have come.

And so I wonder what lives below your perpetual negativity? Apart from the problems with the world, what happened that darkened your lens? What made the glass empty? Is it really all about the world ‘out there’, or are there also unresolved personal experiences that need to be healed? What are you really trying to express about the lack of love, attention, and satisfaction in your life? What lives below this victimhood? What is your deeper complaint? What needs to be expressed and resolved so that you will see some light shining through again? Please don’t wait until the world is perfect, for it will never be so.

Dear friend, how can I help you to believe again? - JEFF BROWN