46 thoughts on “Too Great a Burden….”

  1. I welcome this topic, as yesterday’s discussion began to feel weird when it became clear that a tragedy was building in the nation’s capitol. In the afternoon my daughter called me in tears. I’ve been trying to reassure her since then, a difficult process that fits your question about keeping one’s calm when others are despairing.

    It would be vain to claim I can be calmer than others as a general thing. I do work to manage my moods, but most people do that. In this case, historical perspective has allowed me to reassure my daughter. Being old has so many downsides that it amuses me when it produces something positive, something like seeing reason for hope in the anguish of a messy moment. Being old, in other words, can give us perspective, and perspective is our friend when the world seems to be going to hell.

    My anguish began when this man was elected to a position where he could do so much damage. I feared the worst from him, then constantly revised my sense of how bad “the worse” could be. My four years of despair did not end when this man lost his bid for a second term. It was obvious that he had launched a nasty political movement, which meant that the end of his term of office would not end his ability to ruin civility and clear thinking about the many formidable issues this country faces.

    Yesterday we witnessed a riot caused by one man’s warped psychology. People were hurt. People died. The chaos will be a wretched memory forever: our generation’s own Pearl Harbor, our own 9/11. And yet in the short term, the riot caused many of the instigator’s political lackeys to retreat in shame from false claims about a rigged election. The riot helped legitimize the new administration. More importantly, the riot revealed its creator for the loathsome monster he has become. I’m sure his ability to work mayhem in the future was seriously reduced by the tragedy he created.

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  2. This just came to mind, though it’s not a perfect fit. I just, also, have no words yet of my own.
    IF by Rudyard Kipling
    If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;
    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
    Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

    If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;
    If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
    Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

    If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
    And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
    If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
    And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

    If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
    If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
    If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
    Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

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  3. Philippians 4:6,7: “Do not be anxious over anything, but in prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”

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  4. I have had increasing lower back pain over the past several years, which typically means I am tensing my back against some anticipated attack. The last time I experienced this was when I had a very vindictive coworker. The pain went away after she was fired and I smudged my office building. For some reason, my back pain started dissipating Monday of this week, and is completely gone this morning. While the events of yesterday were horrible, it feels as though the end to this nightmare is proceeding.

    I said a prayer last night asking God to take away all of 45’s psychological defenses so that he can experience the enormity of all the pain, fear, and suffering he has caused over his lifetime.

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  5. it’s good to realize sometimes that in the end you are kind of on your own. you have no control but must simply do the best you can and be aware the world is wonderful in so many ways but also is unwonderful and that you need to reply from where you are
    trump pointed out to many that the world is a place with folks you would rather not think about but it is dangerous to ignore
    don’t dwell but keep it in the back of your mind and make choices that reflect the reality of the world
    it’s depressing but allows you to go forward with hope

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  7. To answer today’s question, I go for a walk in the woods (or any natural place). Nature doesn’t lie, cheat, steal, incite, rebel, manipulate, pander, mislead, extort, bribe, or demean. It just gives you its honest, best shot every day, take it, or leave. Rain is always rain, snow is always snow, hurricanes and tornadoes always do their thing, the sun rises and the sun sets. Nature reminds us that there is always order in the world. The problem is with humans who selfishly and inconsiderately screw it up for money, power, or fame.

    Chris in Owatonna (brought to tears several times yesterday thinking about how far we’ve fallen in four years)

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      1. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

        Rick Hanson, a Canadian psychologist who specializes in neurology and working with brain patterns posted this piece when we were trying to adjust to the results of the 2016 election. We are now on the other side of the election coin when we are transitioning out of this reign of terror. Now #45 is trying to adjust to having lost and he is not making that leap. We as citizens are now saddled with how he copes with emotional pain.

        I found this helpful four years ago, and I find it helpful today:

        What do you do when the bottom falls out?

        The Practice:
Take heart.

        Why? 
It takes heart to live in even ordinary times.

        By “taking heart,” I mean several related things:

        Sensing your heart and chest 
Finding encouragement in what is good both around you and inside you. 
Resting in your own warmth, compassion, and kindness; resting in the caring for you from others;
 Going forward wisely even when anxious, knowing your own truth and as you can speaking it. 
When you take heart, you’re more able to deal with challenges.

        There are so many examples of honorable people facing great difficulty with dignity, principle, and courage. They did it. We can, too.

        How? 
Start by riding out the storm. 


        Do things that help you come back to center and find your footing. Personally, I prioritize exercise, sleep, and meditation; I do the dishes and make the bed. Walk the dog, call a friend, eat something, look at trees and sky, get a cup of tea and stare into space. Take good care of your body.

        Guard and guide your attention. It’s one thing to find facts and form the best plans you can. It’s another thing to get distracted or upset by news or other people that do not add any useful value.

        Take heart with others, sharing worries, support, and friendship.

        Do the things you can. 
Have courage.

        Humans like you and I have been walking this earth for nearly 200,000 years. Empires rise and fall. Sometimes the center does not hold – in a body, marriage, or nation. And still people love each other, go out of their way for a stranger, and marvel at a rainbow. Nothing, nothing at all can change this. We keep putting one foot in front of the other one, lifting each other up along the way.

        Edited, from Take Heart
Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
November 9, 2016

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    1. So sorry, Clyde. I hope you simply pay attention to the support you have here and understand that when you are away for awhile we all miss you so much. What you bring to the table has value here.

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  10. When running for office the first time, Trump kept saying, “nobody else can fix our sick economy, but I can.” And “nobody else can undo all the bad treaties we’ve signed, but I can.” And so on. He said the same thing in many different contexts. Only he could fix all of Obama’s mistakes.

    I thought of that two days ago. I think nobody else on earth could have motivated Georgia voters to elect a black minister and a Jew for their two Senate seats. But Trump could! Stacy Abrams and others worked hard to get that result, but I think the Donald deserves much of the credit.

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  11. When I woke up, this morning, I began to think about the “riots” they claimed Republicans created, yesterday. I had read on Facebook, from someone who was there, that it was Antifa who rooted and broke windows. This thought sickened my spirit as well as thoughts of the threat of Covid 19. When I take my eyes off Christ and only pay attention to my surroundings, I emotionally sink. The world is an increasingly dangerous place, but our hope and security rests in Him, only. Just like Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink in the choppy water, we too can fall prey to the enemy. More than ever, we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

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    1. I’m wondering, Sheila, why you put “riots” rather than the word following it, “they,” in quotation marks? Did you not consider what you saw on live TV yesterday a riot? Or would you only consider it a riot if you believed Antifa was responsible for it? Was the behavior you saw not reprehensible regardless of who the perpetrators were? Or are you OK with violence if it’s perpetrated by Confederate flag waving “patriots”?

      I don’t mean to be unkind, but several of your statements just beg for a logical explanation.

      We have a tradition of welcoming new commentators on this trail, and in that spirit, I welcome you. Be ware though, that you’re likely to get some push back if you proselytize or promote conspiracy theories. At the age of 77 I don’t need you or anyone else to promote Jesus as my savior, but I certainly respect your right to view him as yours.

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    2. Hi Shella-
      One of the things that bothers me about all this is with tRump provoking people, it was pretty clear who we should be keeping our eyes on. (And disheartening to see so many people rise up out of the muck to support him and these ideas. I had hoped more of us had grown beyond that). I have my faith, you have yours. As PJ said, we just don’t talk about that much on here. And I’m concerned now this evil will sink back into the sludge and continue to spread. We just won’t be able to see it until something like this comes up again. And I hope ALL the Gods forbid that.

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    4. Sheila, you reference something you saw on facebook posted by “someone who was there”, but you don’t say whether it was someone you know personally. I suspect that it’s not. Probably someone who you naively assume doesn’t have a bias or a personal agenda. I’ve had this discussion online many times – the same person who uncritically accepts everything they’ve been told in a YouTube video by some random person they don’t know, will also accuse a federal judge who was appointed by Donald Trump of dismissing election fraud cases because they had been bribed. It’s always worth approaching a story with skepticism and asking “Why is this person promoting this particular narrative?”

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  13. Christian Dalbec, my ex-neighbor, as a child, an astounding photographer, has been putting up on his facebook page some amazing pictures, standing in waves in Little Two Harbors, right below Spilt Rock Lighthouse on the south side and in the water elsewhere along the Shore, has taken some astounding photos that sooth me to look at, and celebrate how a troubled young man, has found such dedication to his craft and such success. Photos of waves like you have not seen them before. he captures the sort of glassy oilf feel of the water this time of year.

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  14. I have received word that as part of the Pfizer C19 trail study that I did receive two doses. I’m relieved but not surprised. I got my doses back in May. Always obeyed protocols of masks and distancing. My spring , summer, and fall routine exposed me to multiple occasions for infection. Nothing. I am required to continue a weekly diary about my health. For one login I get ten bucks a week for the next two years! Calming

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      1. Zero side affects. Also my blood draw person this Tuesday missed a vein in my left arm. She called for help and we cooperated on my right arm. I have no problem with needles and always watch the procedure. I faked a horrible reaction for a few seconds. That was fun but I quickly let them off the hook by demanding tongue-in-cheek double money for the draw. I’ll check and see if the regular $119.00 happens.

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      2. I have four friends (all doctors) who have received their first shots. Sore arm was the one complaint each had. Lasted about a day. After that they were fine.

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        2. I’m figuring that I’ll be eligible sometime in March or April. There are others that are in higher risk groups than I, so that’s fine with me. I’ll take the vaccine when I can get it.

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  15. I love today’s header photo. Very calming to look at. As for maintaining peace of mind, my daily meditation is important. So is staying as informed as I can about what’s really going on, and making a determined effort to not allow myself to go off on all kinds of flights of fancy or theories about what this all means.

    Yesterday was tough to witness, though I can’t say it was a huge surprise. Some people saw Biden’s short speech as reassuring, I didn’t. Platitudes such as “this is not who we are,” may make good sound bites, but they also tell me that there are some hard facts that we’re trying hard to ignore. We have a lot of work to do, and don’t kid yourselves, it’s going to be painful and hard.

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