The Bridge #64
all in order
Hello
Today reading these words I hope they’ll give pause
long enough to remember
(1) the care with which you brought into the world and
(2) the opportunity you have to live well going forward.
Those two things, in that order.
Anyways, moving right along…
Something to
Talk About
Why These Countries Value Happiness Over Endless Economic Growth (HuffPost FutureProof)
The news story opens with a description of the Costa Rica paradox: Though the country is 5x poorer per capita (per person) than is the United States, the happiness measured there is significantly greater. Greater happiness can be attributed to a variety of factors including more government investment in education, affordable housing and health, a lower ecological footprint, a greater investment in strong social bonds, and a dismantled military (since 1948) that allowed for funds to be re-routed toward public services.
The story continues from there expanding our imagination by recounting the details of various efforts globally to try other economic models. It can be difficult to believe people and planet can be balanced equally with profit. We haven’t done such a thing at scale for many generations.
That said, if we order our minds around its possibility (at scale), we sustain hope, we convince ourselves to believe and we begin to see that in fact it’s already happening… Little by little, with more and more detail.
(for more detail 🙂 on countries prioritizing Happiness over Profits, see article above, e.g.)
Something to
Consider
It’s true at the global level and it’s true at the personal level too.
Imagine a rock, a really big one. Most of the time rocks don’t move. They’re resistant to change, especially big ones.
It’s true (regardless of rock resistance) water will flow. Every day a few more drops, becoming a tide, becoming a river, flowing past the big rock, and slowly by slowly with time the rock will change. It will take on a new form, re-shaped by the waterflow.
& this is how it can be with our minds and our hearts. Happiness (or re-worded, Joy/Calm/Contentment — the opposites of anxiety and fear—whatever we want to call it), it’s possible. We let that truth flow and it re-shapes our lives. You have to let it seep down into every micro-action though, and that takes time. Fun to watch the water flow while we’re waiting, no?
Something to
Groove To
A story told in the exact order it happened— I’m lying in bed the other night sick to my stomach. In fact, I’d been lying in bed most of the day with a fever. (spoiler for those worried: the story ends better than it begins.) I decide to listen to a podcast I’d had on queue for over a year. (Sometimes life slips away from us, right? But not the other night!) I’m lying in bed without much to do and want to soothe my mind with good conversation. Ian Wright interviews Everyday People in the UK who are champions deserving of more celebration. This particular episode I learn of Gary Crosby. Gary had been an engineer, then made the leap to become a jazz bassist. He was born in London, has Jamaican origins; on a visit to Jamaica in the late 1980s he was talking to a cousin and gets asked “what are you doing in London?” It took him time to realize the depth of the question, but when he did then he was inspired to change his path once again. With his partner Janine Irons, who left a well-paid corporate job, Gary started Tomorrow’s Warriors. Instead of elevating his own jazz music career, touring, Gary got to work training young people and giving them spotlight during jam sessions, helping them book concerts of their own. 30 years later and (big thanks to Gary & Janine’s work) the British jazz scene has blown up, because young black musicians (women and men) were given an education and a platform by Tomorrow’s Warriors. I’d never heard of this incredible non-profit until listening to the podcast but it’s an inspiring story. & it demonstrates not all good work is paid (it took Gary & Janine at least a year of unpaid work to prove the experiment and get the non-profit started.) Nubya Garcia is an alumna of Tomorrow’s Warriors and an award-winning saxophonist touring the world. In 2020 to celebrate her debut studio album she was featured in NPR’s Tiny Desk HOME Concerts. The music plays in your brain and soothes the pain. After a good night’s rest brought on by the ridiculously smooth vibes I felt better.
Something to
Share with Friends
Thanks to all those who provided feedback the other day via the survey. An invite to the virtual party to follow very soon. If you’d like to join in on the fun Sunday, March 19th — be in touch.
Instead of song lyrics— as the music’s primarily instrumental this week — how about a quote from the founder of Black History Month?
Let us banish fear. We have been in this mental state for three centuries. I am a radical. I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help me.
What a nice idea, no?
JPC 😎