What’s Going On?
You have no idea how many times I have started to write this over the past 16 months. I can’t believe it has been that long really. I would come to Fairchild Gardens, walk through the Pergola and watch the thoughts move through my mind: ideas from my days reading and teaching Political Sociology, Environmental Sociology, Race Relations, Gender Studies, Sociology of Science, Sociology of Religion, Social Psychology. Oi! So much going on in this world at this moment I thought “Wow, there is a new Sociology PhD topic developing every day, maybe even every hour!”
I would then sit down to write my Blog and I just didn’t know where to start. Not for a lack of things to say, but rather, too many. It felt like a tsunami of ideas was crashing over me and I was almost drowning.
Today, I feel different. Like I have come up for air. I needed to pull back from all the scenes of conflict playing out around the planet and take a bird’s eye view. What is it that is really going on? What is at the root of all the outrage? Why are people so angry?
I don’t really have a clear answer, yet. I have a feeling there are, and going to be, many conversations about this topic. It does seem particularly urgent at this time, to find the roots of some of the pain and suffering happening now, and start to nudge people towards more peace, joy and equanimity. Like our lives depend on it!
Here are some of my current insights on the root of outrage and anger being exhibited in many pockets of the earth these days:
People are scared. And there are plenty of good reasons to be scared: COVID-19, the repercussions from the pandemic including job losses and other economic disasters, climate change, rise in gun ownership (particularly in the States), resurgence of terrorist groups, I could go on, and on. When one gets scared, the normal reaction is to run away or fight. Some people are choosing to run away / hide right now, many are choosing to fight, either with words, or actions.
There is very little clarity on where we are heading, as a civilization. We hear more about how things are falling apart or fading away - the natural environment, bricks and mortar offices, retail shops - then about what is being created. Humans need something positive to look forward to, otherwise it is easy to be angry over losses.
Our individual identities and our global identities have become quite confused and complicated. When a person doesn’t know who she is deep down, she can become easily agitated, and even defensive.
How do we get ourselves out of this funk?
I keep going back to South African Ubuntu philosophy - You are who you are because of your relationship with others. This is true for both positive and negative values, thoughts and behaviors. For example, a person can be outraged about something because other members of their “tribe” are outraged.
Thus, we need to start to replace anger, outrage and hate with calm and love. I know, it sounds too simple, and probably a bit naive, but it is a start.
Ashe