The Magick of Play

In a world where life is ever more difficult, where we are constantly bombarded with unwelcome news, where the future seems ever more worrisome, we can become unbearably weary.  

We can become so burdened by the mundane, and the seemingly inevitable despair of the world that our passion, our joy, our optimism and our pleasure seem increasingly beyond our reach.

This is not the way I wish to live.  

In circumstances like these, Play becomes absolutely necessary.  We need to remember how to be hopeful, how to have fun, how to laugh.

Once a week I gather with some friends to Play.  I pretend to be someone else.  I spend an evening doing ridiculous things and together we create a story.  A wild, impossible and gloriously outrageous story.  I get to learn new skills, and to practice things that make me uncomfortable, like conflict, in a safe place with friends.  I get to practice communicating more clearly, and facing conflict, and being bold, and even vent stress and anger in healthy, playful ways.  I get to say, “bite me” to people who will not be hurt by those words.  And I get to laugh, a lot.

Play and laughter are just as important for adults as they are for children, perhaps even more so.  We need play, and laughter, and fun, to remain strong and healthy and to renew our spirits in a world that is filled with sadness and despair.  Laughter and play are the antidote to the toxicity and weariness of challenging times. 

Life is good.  The Sun still shines, as do the Moon and the Stars.  Find Joy, find Pleasure, find Laughter.  Play!

Prayers and Politics

I have felt many emotions today, about the past, about our history, about the men who have been president of my country during my lifetime.  I am still very proud that the transfer of power in this nation happens in a peaceful manner, with neither bloodshed nor imprisonment.   

I am not an overtly political person. I am a patriot, I believe in Liberty, in the rule of Law, in Justice and in a government of the People, by the People and for the People.  

I am neither a pacifist, nor an anarchist.  I believe in peaceful resistance and the great privilege of voting as a preferred means of revolution without bloodshed. 

When I was younger, I fell in love with the idea of a revolutionary named Ernesto “Che” Guevara but, while I have a theoretical weakness for the idea of “the Revolutionary”, I do not believe in armed rebellion.  I have never aspired to be “Great” in that way.

I believe that it is my duty as a citizen to be prepared to defend my neighbors from terrorists and fascists, especially if they come in the night in the guise of agents of my own government. But truth be told, I fear that possibility, because I fear that I may not have the courage to act when the moment of Truth arrives.

I know a lot of people who are afraid of what the future holds because they believe that the President who was inaugurated today will bring about untold horrors.  I am afraid that if those horrors indeed come to pass that, I will fail to do what I believe to be right.

I also know a lot of people who are hopeful because they have felt unheard and unseen and they have been afraid that they will lose their homes, or that their children will be cold and hungry, or that their loved ones could die if they are unfortunate enough to become ill because they cannot afford to be treated.  People who work harder than they should have to and are one small misfortune away from losing everything. 

We all have experienced fear of the future because it cannot be known.  It is a natural human reaction to fear circumstances that we cannot control. 

But fear of the future, and anger and hatred of others, the idea that other human beings, fellow citizens of our nation and our world, are “the Enemy”, is not the way to create the world or the future that I want. 

Civility, discourse and the ability to walk in another man’s shoes are needed.  The ability to listen to another man’s story, and to see that he is in no way significantly different from me, is necessary.  Compassion, understanding and hope, and a healthy dose of courage and honor will be as essential as they have always been. 

I do not like the President’s immaturity, his egomania, or his very fluid relationship with the truth.  I vehemently disagree with just about everything he has said and done over the years.  But he is just a very flawed human. 

I can do many things to positively affect the course of the future.  Now is not the time for rioting in the streets. 

I will not be marching tomorrow, not because I do not want to, but because it is not within my abilities for various reasons.  I will be praying, and holding those who are marching in safety and power. 

I will also be praying for the new President over the next 4 years.  For him to be guided, and restrained as necessary, and for him to learn, and grow and change, as any flawed human is capable of.  He is a 70-year-old father and grandfather.  He is not my enemy and he is not a monster, just a very flawed human just like every human who has ever held power. 

May the Gods, the Ancestors and the Spirits guide him, bind him, and teach him as necessary.  And may We the people learn and grow and evolve through this process as well.

And if the horrors we fear should be visited upon us, may They grant me the courage to stand for what I believe to be right.  So mote it be.  

Despair is the enemy of change...

This past week has been a difficult one for many, including me.  First there was the shock of the shooting itself.  Then came the grief and anger and fear, the frustration and desire for retribution, and the insult of erasure.  

   

The sheer stupidity and incredible ignorance of the public discourse was almost unbearable if you even bothered to listen, which truth be told, I did not. Because I knew it would be dreadful and I refused to subject myself to it.  But I am aware of the effect it had on those I love.

I do not advocate willful ignorance.  Hiding one’s head in the sand is not a practical solution to the ills of our world but, I can spend five minutes a day in research to discover the facts of what happened and to get confirmation that the reactions of the ignorant and hateful factions of our society are indeed what I had suspected they would be.  I refuse to spend the precious substance of my life, my time, exposing my soul to the wasteful and damaging effects of hate-speech.

I am angry that someone massacred forty-nine people.  Forty-nine of my fellow humans died for no other reason than the hate of another damaged human.  I am angry that those who have a voice are ignoring the fact that those who died were members of a community that has historically been targeted for violence and that has not been protected by those who are entrusted with the defense of the people.

I have loved ones who have been a part of that community for decades.  I too identify as a member of that community, I identify as Queer, although I am not seen as such by almost anyone.  I am angry at the erasure of identity being practiced by those with a public voice in the discourse surrounding this tragedy. 

But the worst thing of all to me is the despair I witness in the hearts and souls of those whom I love.  Two beloveds in particular have spoken words of despair this week, one young and straight, the other gay and middle-aged.  Despair does not discriminate.

Despair is the enemy, make no mistake.  It is normal and natural and completely understandable and I do not ridicule my beloveds, for their despair is a familiar shadow.  But Hope is needed and Faith is necessary.  We cannot affect change, and we need change, if we hold no Hope.  Despair robs us of our will, our energy, our purpose and our joy.

I know the world is a dangerous place.  I know that much of our society is ignorant and operating from a place of fear and hatred.  I know that much of our human race is ill and damaged.  But I believe that we are not beyond Healing, that we are not beyond Hope.

I have Faith that the majority of the human race is not represented by the voices shouting hatred at the top of their lungs.  Indeed those voices are so loud that they all but drown out the voices of our higher angels with their “Sound and Fury”.  But they are indeed idiots and their words signify nothing.  I have Faith that we can continue to affect change, and healing and the positive evolution of our species and our society if we keep working, struggling, fighting, believing.  I believe that we can indeed re-enchant the world so long as we do not give up Hope.

I am not delusional, although I may be stubborn.  And if the world chooses to see me as simple or sentimental because I choose Hope and Faith, so be it but, I will not despair, for despair is the enemy of change and I am a champion of Hope.