The Bridge #63
chaotic thinking
Hello
We’ve been trying so long to find our way, we thought we were wandering, we thought we were lost.
It turns out the “right way” is simply something others invented.
Our meandering — sometimes hesitant, sometimes self-sure — has in fact been part of a grand art project, a poetic statement, something that cannot be summarized. Though if we had to summarize, we might give it the name, Humans Finding Their Way. OR else simply, Humans Living Their Life, and letting it be.
Something Interesting
Democratic Functioning (The Center for Humane Technology)
The team at The Center for Humane Technology have created a documentary film, a podcast and a growing community of conscious civic participants. Changes in public policy can be slow-going. Meanwhile, the research and awareness-raising efforts of CHT help clarify issues we’re facing as a society today.
They have talk of “The Wisdom Gap,” for example:
The gap between the rising interconnected complexity of our problems and our ability to make sense of it all is "The Wisdom Gap." And while technology isn’t the sole cause, runaway technology is rapidly widening that gap even further.
Technology can be used for good; it’s just that lately (the past 20+ years) it’s not been the case so much at scale.
Since major social media platforms have been released, the number of democracies worldwide has decreased significantly. Social media has been shown to increase polarization, reduce the quality of civic discourse, and confuse our minds with disinformation. Bots and troll farms are weaponized, moral outrage is encouraged, we can hardly even… You get the idea.
Democratic dis-function doesn’t need to be our reality. Still, it can help to accept the unsettling truth that, well, there are some problems.
Something Serious
Chaos is not something we normally talk about. It’s those moments in life when we struggle to make sense, have trouble articulating the words, lose control and hold on for dear life.
We do not generally welcome the unknown. Sometimes the unknown finds us, confronts, invades, disrupts. It is usually then unpleasant to have our perceived reality flipped upside-down inside-out. We do not usually wish for chaos.
& yet we have opportunity in these moments to learn so much!
We can say for certain that young children are generally at ease with chaos. They learn by a leap, whether they land or tumble; they stand and fall and stand and fall and take the bowl and flip it over and — oh! that’s what happens when we spill out the toys, the dirt, the water, the beads, the soup. What fun!
I don’t like not knowing what’s going on. Not knowing makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like not having control. & yet I love to learn; therefore, I want to learn to be more at ease with chaos.
Something Fun
“Why Do I Feel?” by The Shaggs
Some sisters formed a band because their father wanted them to.
He pulled them out of school and felt sure they’d be famous if they practiced every day. They had no musical training. He paid for them to record an album in a professional music studio (in the late 60’s), and it was a flop. The father later died of a heart attack, not long after a second album was released. The group disbanded. The music lived on.
Later, some smart people said they liked the music of The Shaggs. Some classified it as “outsider music” even if the lyrics themselves resemble so closely what most pop songs today talk about. The sisters were from a small town in New Hampshire. Outsiders? They certainly rock to the beat of their own drum.
Something Friendly
Thanks to Jen and Julie for helping create the new logo. Hope you like it.
There are times when I feel sad
There are times when I feel blue
What makes me feel this way the most
Is when I don't know why I do the things I do
Why do I do the things I do?
Why do I feel the way I feel?
Your mind bouncing around a bit too?
Maybe it’s OK this way, part of living.
Stay in tune,
JPC 😎