The current news is very disturbing, so it is not my goal here to comment further, once more about what is unfolding under our eyes. I do believe however that we need to elevate ourselves above what is happening, and find ways to reach out to new gateways of understanding. We need to better understand each other and learn from each other. But also reach out deep within ourselves to other modes of perception. (Listen to the podcast post here.)
This month of February truly feels like a turning point. Few weeks ago when I gave you a review of the key events to watch for this year, I could not have expected that so many clouds would be gathering over our heads. Increasingly, Europe is feeling that its destiny is not really into its own hands. The last time I gave you my thoughts about the current threats of war, I was on the side of those who were thinking that the current darkening clouds would eventually dissolve. But all of a sudden, if you listen to the news in the mainstream media, we are told that things are much more likely to turn a lot worse.
The reason why I chose to talk about it today is because suddenly the most worrisome scenarios are being considered here and there by various analysts and experts. The point here is not about repeating what these experts in geopolitics are developing all over media channels. The point that I want to make here is about stepping back and watching the situation from a bird’s eye view.
I could indeed look at what is going on, and with an alarmist tone, provide you in great detail what this head of state did, and what that other head said. And describe in great details why this one is right, or this one is wrong. And I could go on and on, in an unending cycle of convoluted explanations regarding these developments.
I feel in great honesty that the only thing to do in such a situation is to step back and widen the scope of analysis. Einstein said that you can’t solve problems using the mindset that created the very problem you are trying to resolve. So, we need to ask ourselves what it is that we are witnessing. And perhaps, the most important thing to do here is to ask questions. Answers may be useful, but always start with the questions. At least, it’s shedding some light on blindspots that we didn’t know existed.
When our minds are lost for meaning, it’s always a good idea to call upon the spirit of some literary and art works. And I came upon War and Peace by Tolstoi. And then the movie Dr Zhivago. Both tell stories that are deeply tied to the Eastern part of Europe and Russia. Indeed, Tolstoy is one of the icons of that XIXth century and his wisdom looms large over world literature. One of the few things I know about his work is that he was deeply influenced by Schopenhauer. When he wrote “War and Peace”, Tolstoy studied another earlier book “The World as Will and Representation”. “The World as Will and Representation”, deeply questioned the world we are living in. So we need to examine what we are living right now in the world. What are these threats of war? Where are they really coming from? What if we saw them as a pure reflection of our inner minds? All this talk of war and conflict, ask yourself the question; what if this is a mirror image of our own personal inner states?
We need to put our minds in a different space. This can happen through cultural activities such as music, poetry, literature and movies. When I watch a great film from a different country, it’s like a window into the culture of another country, another culture and another civilization. It’s an incredible voyage taking place from a very specific layer of our consciousness. Suddenly, the characters on that screen become real and they are not anymore the enemies that regular media tend to depict. These characters play situations that we all face, they face difficulties, just like any of us, and they go through life, with its joys and sufferings, just like us.
That’s where I am going to leave it here and I promise we’ll take many more voyages through movies and art expressions in the world.
Let me know what you think and make comments. I will reply.