So much at stake. Ojalá, it’s not too late…
I have always been a hopeless believer in the goodness of humanity. That the probity and integrity in all of us will prevail, given time. My heart is breaking as that belief is being put to the ultimate test. I’m at the point where I just want to throw my hands in the air and hole up in the jungle to tune out all of the ugliness in the world. Turns out, it’s not that easy to avoid even here. From the Macro: global conflations and the demise of US democracy; to the Micro: neighborhood disputes over how to repair a rain-damaged road in a third-world country. Is it my imagination, or is the wicked side of our souls gaining ground? Winning even?
I’m at a certain age where my childhood upbringing ingrained in me certain unqualified values and virtues. Truth, integrity, compassion, forgiveness, and inclusivity. And all that is associated therewith. My teachings were not founded in any church doctrine either, but rather in the salt-of-the-earth beliefs and practices of my hardworking and loving grandparents. I’m devasted to witness the erosion and outright demolition of these sacred tenets. On a daily basis. Today the accepted norm is to lie, cheat, defame, swindle, collude, and corrupt to achieve selfish agendas, which can always be reduced to two age-old vices:
Money and Power.
I was actually ridiculed by one of my neighbors for suggesting we all make the choice to treat each other with dignity and respect during times of conflict. (And seriously, how much conflict can there be in maintaining a five-home community?) Be that as it may, I felt diminished, as if my choice to create a world of peaceful coexistence was childish, laughable even. At least our little hood hasn’t devolved to the point of threatened fisticuffs in the street like the next hood over. But it could…To be fair, when K apologized to one of our Tico associates for the outrageous behavior of some of our neighbors, he chuckled, saying the exchange could have been, verbatim, a dispute in a Tico barrio. Alas.
Take that dynamic to the national level in the States, or to the global level in Ukraine/Russia, and kaboom. As an extreme empath, it is very hard to shield my spirit from such toxic energy. Almost pathetically, I took great comfort in watching The Good Fight last night, vowing to follow Diane Lockhart’s example. Keep the faith, but keep insulated from the swirling negative energy that prevails. Only problem is, she used ayahuasca therapy to accomplish that. 🤪
It’s arguable that even more odious than the evil acts of wrongdoers is the silence of all the bystanders. Elie Wiesel knew this lesson all too well. And here we are again. Different time, same place. There are so many basic human rights on the line right now, and those who stick their heads in the sand are, in my mind, just as guilty as those who sling their barbed arrows for personal gain. From looking the other way as a former president lies, cheats, and commits treason, (the list of felonious behavior is far too long to cite), to refusing to speak up in a neighborhood dispute when boundaries of decency and transparency are trampled, silence is always the friend of the enemy. Here in the jungle, we have our own cast of characters ripped straight from today’s headlines: Don and Melania, consigliere Guiliani and Sidney Powell. It would be hysterical if it weren’t so painfully real.
Bottom line, no matter what your persuasion (and I think mine is fairly obvious), think before you act. But ACT. Do whatever you can, and do what is right because it’s the right thing to do. Make your voice heard in a peaceful, nonviolent way. Speak from your heart, drawing on the love that surely resides within. Because, depending on how the world turns, you just might find yourself on the outside, looking in some time down the road.
Pura Vida 🙏 🧡 🙏
Nov. 6, 2022
Judy Richter 