This is my sense, my fear of what actually might be happening to us humans in the western world… that we’ve lost touch with the fact that we’re living beings. That others are living beings.
A few weeks ago I witnessed a 6 year old friend play a video game. Not missing a beat, he told me how his task was to destroy [some enemy]… and on he went, shooting away, gaining points for his success. This boy is a total sweetheart, but this is his training. Along with that of millions of others.
And that is just the gaming world. We also have umteen channels of TV and the whole world of movies that contributes to the same. And I’m not only talking about the obvious violent scenes. I’m trying to point to something much much more subtle here…
In virtual reality there is no real world harm done, we think. But what are we doing to our perception of life? Life on earth – be it nature, plants insects animals or humans – are we able to be in touch?
How can we device weapons – and industries – of mass destruction!? How can we just keep going with habits and comforts, maybe tweak a few degrees from an Accord to a Prius when if it really mattered we would stop driving all together?
With such scary news – in the real world – of destruction of man and nature, the psychologist in me says “of course” we have to protect ourselves from the horror. A bit of denial here, a bit of disconnect there… And there goes our own humanity, our ability to feel, our ability to *be* in our infinitely precious humanity.
THAT then, seems to be our most important task. Rehumanize, resensitize, reconnect, restore the view that life is sacred. And that you and I, and all others, and all beings, and all of nature, is part of life.
Maja Bengtson 
Maja, Your concern rings back across the pond to where I sit in Spain. Aliveness gets a high priority in these parts and sometimes at the price of gentler things like consistency, serenity and consideration but it is most certainly unashamedly alive here.
I hear a nostalgia for love.
It gives me cause to consider my relationship with the life-love thing. It’s not so clear to me that I ‘have’ my own life any more than it is that I am just along for the ride and a part of a picture called by the same name ? Could it be in all the ugliness and cruelty that you wrote about, is just they way it is and always was .. or to use the Carlinesque perspective, how the planet goes about shaking off the fleas.
I have no doubt that life will prevail and somewhere amid it’s enigmatic and brutal, twisted unfathomable diversity there will be tenderness and sweetness lurking, … waiting, ready to overwhelm and astonish us just when we thought we might know something. Love to you Maja.
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