I wrote in a recent post that I am comfortable living with mystery. There are, however, questions that cause me great discomfort. Here are a few:
Is it possible to hold the misery of the world at the same time as we live in comfort?
How can I be buying things that I want, when others lack the most basic necessities?
What are we to do with the news of an entire planet, the processing of which is above our evolutionary pay grade?
What is an individual to do about earthquakes, climate change, starvation?
Will the poor, as Jesus said, always be with us?
If all wealth were put in a pile and divided equally among the citizens of the world, how long would it take for us to sort into rich and poor again?
Am I doing enough? Am I doing anything useful?
Does my recycling and eschewing as much plastic as possible make a difference when manufactures keep encasing everything in the stuff?
Does my driving a hybrid car matter when so many Americans are still in love with their giant, gas-guzzling vehicles?
Is instant karma gonna get me, as John Lennon predicted?
Will I be one of the downtrodden in my next life?
Why do some people have five homes when others have no home?
If every household on earth had the same amount of land and the same-sized house, how many square feet would that be?
Should we fly for pleasure when we are facing a global climate emergency?
How about if we are flying to visit family?
Why is there always enough money for war, but never enough for social programs?
Why are humans incapable of addressing a problem before it is a crisis? (eg. climate change)
Why do humans let the genie out of the bottle and ask questions later? (eg. AI)
Why are we so divided when we should be pulling together to solve the great challenges of our time?
Are human beings fatally flawed?
What would you add to this list?
Truth
ReplyDeleteIs just asking the question enough to make a contribution?
ReplyDeleteHow do I live from my being rather than my doing?
What value distortions come from living in a pernicious capitalist system?
How did I become so fortunate as to have such thoughtful and intelligent friends?
To your first question, I would say, no - unless asking the questions leads to robust conversation, followed by action.
DeleteHow does one stay out of the fear, stay hopeful, while also staying aware, paying attention to current societal and universal challenges. ?? Feels like a full time job, and challenging to maintain balance.
DeleteGood questions. Fear is paralyzing. Hope is energizing. Balance is a constant challenge.
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