I’ve been experiencing grief in response to the ongoing social and political conflicts. We are not separate from our social and political structures, but are instead in a parallel process with them. What happens on a macro- level is felt on a personal level.

I wrote this with the mind of resiliency, rebuilding, and rebirth. As we experience this collective shift together that the current times are presenting, may we stay with the process and allow it to dance us into a new reality. Here are five elements of rebuilding as I see them for us now.

Disruption

2020 has thoroughly disrupted our current systems. When our familiar lives are disrupted, we choose whether we will double down on the protection mechanisms which have kept us the same so far or become willing partners in the process.

Stay Awake

It’s normal to disassociate when we feel shaken. We might get busier, think more, eat more, use more substances, or even invest in more good things- whatever will keep us from staying with the discomfort of what is happening.

When I was young, my older siblings would stay up later than I was allowed. I resented that all the trouble and action happened after my bedtime. They assured me it was best for me to be in bed, and they were right. Children are best kept safe in turbulent times, but adults are called to keep their eyes open when the action is happening.

Participation

It’s not enough to be an awake spectator of the crumbling walls in our world. We must show up for the date. Life has orchestrated a moment in time to create an action-packed reorganization of our world. We get to fully feel the disintegration and design the rebuilding as it occurs.

This means actively engaging with the spectrum of emotions and experiences presented to us. In the same way a healthy ecosystem thrives in biodiversity, our inner world craves difficult emotions. When we dive into what is being presented, we are more likely to be satisfied.

Stay in love for the sake of love.

Whether you believe in God, the laws of science, or neither, trusting a source outside of the self provides a creativity and richness that can only be obtained from a cosmic sense of security. Engaging with difficult experiences from a place of specific expectation keeps us from staying present and extracting what they have to offer, while following life like a lover who has your best ultimate interest in mind provides us with the landscape that we need to find meaning.

Emerge

Eventually, we emerge. Think back to the most difficult time of your life. It is likely you experience that chunk of time differently present day than you did at that time. Soon, we will come above water and breathe life from a new vantage point. The shadows always reward us beyond our dreams when we honor them in the way they ask to be honored.