Rocking Boats
“The ultimate, hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make and could just as easily make differently.”
(David Graeber, economic anthropologist and activist)
We are drowning: in consumer goods, social media feeds, endless torrents of news and information. The constant drum beats of more, more, more; the 21st-century gold rush frenzy of data; the algorithms competing for attention. This onslaught has many consequences: mental health issues, deep exhaustion beneath veneers of being busy, polarised opinions, feelings of social isolation amongst all the apparent connections. There is much moral distress. We can end up like that howling face in Edvard Munch’s ‘Scream’ painting. Perhaps an appropriate image for the second quarter of this 21st century…
Strategies to cope are common – and in themselves can become part of the problem (such as the avalanche of self-help books and wellness industries). Pills offered to ease the pains caused by modern life. In so many ways, it is far easier to take a pill than challenge and confront social structures – even though it is these structures that substantially cause much of our discomfort and distress.
John Peacock (a long-established meditation teacher) wrote last year: “If our quest for personal flourishing in this world… doesn’t lead us to question the structures that give rise to hunger, inequality, prejudice and injustice, then our ‘Buddhism’ exists in a rarefied atmosphere divorced from the struggle for existence of billions of beings on this planet… In evading the socio-political, we lay ourselves open to the charge of an ethical cowardice that prioritises the individual over the social.”
So how do we both stay steady in ourselves and strong in the challenges of this world? One tactic of a friend of mine is withdrawing from media news (digital and print). I can understand and empathise with this approach. That screaming in despair at the floods of all the awful things that are happening – so just switch it off. And of course turning off news does not necessarily mean becoming withdrawn and self-centred; it actually could mean becoming more engaged in the world around us and more connected to community. This definitely is as valuable as awareness of the bigger pictures.
Something that personally I have done is removing access to websites from my phone (thanks to my niece for suggesting it). Each morning, I aim to switch on screens only after 9am (and ideally later). Small steps towards managing my own addictions (which undeniably includes world news) and all the stimulants that distract me from daily life.
However, the clarion calls of this world invite us to attend to all that happens (from birdsong to genocide, from racism to beautiful moments of interaction with good friends) – and one of the ways we can partially and imperfectly learn about what is happening is through the news. Hearing the cries of the world for help and doing what we can to be engaged in this life. One middle way was suggested by Oliver Burkeman in his Meditation for Mortals: “you can stay informed on ten minutes a day.”
Some people following my friend’s example might take it as a reason (and an excuse) to be entirely disengaged from this world – both near and far. Perhaps if one has chosen to live in an isolated remoteness, then this might be a valid approach. But if we are living in this world – with all our privileges, opportunities, possessions – then this potentially could appear selfish and self-centred. Rather than being engaged with what goes on, a turning away from the daily difficulties and the daily struggles that many people experience.
Undoubtedly, there is a need for discipline about what is being taken in. Undoubtedly, many people have a different view from myself on how we can be informed and what constitutes ‘political’ – my view is that everything (what we eat, how we travel, what we wear, how we relate to each other) is political. Undoubtedly, plenty of people would agree more with what someone once said to me while on a retreat: “politics has no place in a yoga class.” Yet this conveniently ignores the fact that their significant material advantages allowed this person to go on a retreat.
Here is another similar view: “Political comments do not belong in a regular yoga class…People come to class to find a neutral oasis from the troubles of the world.” This neglects the privilege which enable them to attend yoga classes. In my view, practice is not about living in a bubble bath of good vibes. Practice is having the aspirations to wake up and to be fully engaged in this life (with all its peaks and troughs, all its sorrows and joys). Are we supposed to turn away from social injustice even though we talk much about turning towards inner experiences?
Instead of holding steady to their values, some teachers are becoming quieter in the face of what is happening. Fear of losing followers has kept some teachers silent; a prioritising of income streams and social status over integrity and ethics. Yes, the balances are challenging: sufficient earnings, staying true to values, expressing opinions – and I do acknowledge my own advantages of having a good income stream based on years of teaching. Here is another opinion: “I do think the basis of yoga is not just about personal enrichment but also how to use that for a wider good.”
As the march of modernity wreaks havoc on nature and makes us serfs to corporate algorithms, as we become ever more enslaved to our devices and further atomised, strategies to survive and co-operatively thrive are urgently required. Obviously, numerous nuances and countless shades of grey; certainly, it is true that there is a vast range of personal situations. Yet these questions can be considered by all of us, regardless of conditions.
What can I do to make this world a better place?
How can I help construct networks and webs that are supportive and sustaining to all life?
How can we create conditions that encourage life that has dignity, meaning and purpose?
To witness what is happening without speaking up can make one part of the problem. Samuel Johnson wrote in the 17th century: “The opposite of good is not evil. The opposite of good is indifference.” A consequence of completely disengaging from the world could be this indifference – thus being socially passive and so possibly an accomplice to oppression and injustice.
A socially engaged practice is called for in the current circumstances of this world where there is more armed conflict – from Gaza to Sudan – than at any time since 1945; where since 2020 the wealth of the five richest men (four of whom live in the US) has more than doubled; where the power of individuals such as Musk, Putin, Trump and Xi is immense. Burying heads in sand makes us complicit. Yes, it is easier to be quiet than speak up – but I do think that everything is political. Engagement is necessary – raising our voices and using our platforms to actively campaign for constructive and positive changes in this world. Chanting om means little if we are not prepared to question injustices and inequalities, if we are unwilling to challenge war in any form and the causes of war.
