Earlier in the year my Dad and I were talking about life and what you can and can’t control. We were talking about his health. Then he said; ‘Darling, you can’t fart against thunder’. He was telling me not to put my energy in the direction of things that are out of my control.
This got me thinking. In Melbourne we are in lockdown 2.0 right now. In week 5 of 8 weeks of lockdown. Like you, I am watching and listening to so many responses with this imposed lifestyle. I notice hate and blame towards our government, each other and people we don’t even know. Like you, I watch frustration and fear as we have less connection with people and more financial stress on our income and businesses and in some cases their health and lives. I also notice others surrendering to what is happening.
I like the perspective of the Former UN Climate Chief when we are calling for change. He was referencing climate change. He was calling for civil disobedience. “It’s time to participate in non-violent, political movements where possible”. He was also referencing no violence in our words. We are easy to blame people and get personal. We are less inclined to use data to educate respectfully. We fall into the trap of name calling and finger pointing.
Blaming and hating won’t help you. Your anger may generate attention but not in a good way. It won’t help the situation. It will help increase your stress and anxiety. I’m not saying we roll over to things we don’t agree with. But noticing if your voice is contributing to healthy conversations, helping contribute to change in a good way. If not you could be farting against thunder.
You can’t calm the storm. What you can calm is yourself. Are you complaining or contributing? A great question to ponder.
What else in your world are you trying to control that you need to let go?