Wellness Calendar: Saturday 28 December
The twenty-eighth revolution
[Propositions; propositions linked to the self, relationships, society and compassion]
There are many definitions to the word ‘proposition.’ Here’s a flavour of some of them: an assertion that something is true or real; a statement that is grounded in certainty; something that is understood to be so; a known solution to a problem; a way of doing something that works well; something you can trust and have faith in; a manifesto; an idea; a concept; a theory; an opinion; a suggestion; an argument; anything that’s meaningful and tangible to you.
Propositions can be based on your own life experiences, the experiences of others, research, science, logic, common sense, intuition, philosophy, debate, quotations, songs/song lyrics – and more besides.
When it comes to our own wellness/universal wellness, it may be a useful exercise to build up a library of our own propositions.
To help us understand ourselves better.
To keep things real.
To make sense of ourselves and the world around us.
To help us acknowledge which areas of our lives we are certain about and which areas we are less certain about.
To protect us from being manipulated and coerced by other people/agencies who wish to put their own assertions, beliefs and opinions onto us for their own gain.
To know how we would like to move forward in the world.
To plant the seeds of a better world by imagining what one might look like.
Here are some examples to get you thinking about your own propositions. We’ve split them up into those concerning our self, our relations with others, our view as a citizen of this world, an imagining of what a compassionate world might look like.
Self propositions
There’s one person you will be spending the rest of your life with. Maybe now is a good time to get to know yourself.
You don’t have to wait to be in the doldrums to improve the quality of your life. You can start right now.
Just as dedicated sports people, artists, musicians and writers strive to be at the very top of their game, so too can we.
Part of doing the best you can for yourself is getting your needs met – whatever they might be.
If we want the best for ourselves, we have to adapt constantly to the ever-changing world around us.
We are forever on the go, with no on/off button to press. If you sign up for life, you get it 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Relational propositions
Everything comes back to ourselves. If we’re angry with someone, it’s ultimately about our own process of anger, not theirs. If we’re attracted to someone, it’s about our attraction rather than their attractiveness. What we like or dislike about other people is a reflection of ourselves.
“The greatest gift you can give someone is your own personal development.”
Jim Rohn
Some people ‘don’t know they’re born,’ as they have not faced any adversity, loss, hardship or trauma, nor have experienced any highs or lows. In a sense they are merely flat-lining, unable to appreciate the wonder and value of life, and for them, exploration and experimentation could be the key to being truly born.
Everyone is doing the best they can for themselves at any moment in time.
We all strive to thrive and lead meaningful, purposeful and fulfilling lives. We all seek pleasure and avoid pain. We all have urges, drives, impulses and arousal. How we navigate our way around these is profoundly important to our well-being and the well-being of others.
Nobody self-destructs on purpose, unless they can see no hope and no prospect of change, or they’re in an altered, disjointed state of being.
Societal propositions
There’s an optimum grouping of people that can be considered human-size. The greater the volume of people above this unit, the greater the lack of humanity.
“Whenever something is wrong, something is too big.”
Leopold Kohr
Greed, punishment, deprivation of liberty, inequality, abuse of power, corruption and lies, etc., are not natural traits of humans; they’re symptoms of an unhealthy side of society. Similarly, cooperation, freedom and equality, etc., are not natural traits of humans; they’re symptoms of a healthy aspect of society.
We aren’t born with a guidebook to life. We have to follow our own path, using the clues of those that went before us. We aren’t born to be ruled over. We choose to either accept it or to resist it, to work within it or to work around it.
Compassionate propositions
Another way of looking at wellness from a universal perspective is to use our knowing coupled with our imagination: spending time contemplating how we could use the knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work as a template for what a future cultural landscape might look like – if we dared to care for our fellow citizens, rather than compete with them for a bigger share of Earth’s resources.
One ethical question we could ask ourselves within this contemplative arena is whether the notion of competition is part of our natural DNA or whether it’s an artificial and ideological construct.
“No person, I think, ever saw a herd of buffalo, of which a few were fat and the great majority lean. No person ever saw a flock of birds, of which two or three were swimming in grease, and the others all skin and bone.”
Henry George
If we cared, we would be truly invested in our communities. We wouldn’t relinquish our power to representatives, because we would know that decisions affecting each of us are far too important to negate our responsibility. If we cared.
If we cared, there’d be no homelessness, as we’d collectively know just how detrimental not having warmth, shelter and security is to our well-being. If we cared.
If we cared, we’d make sure to lower the chances of hostilities by creating mutually agreed cultural norms within each location and situation, so that everyone would know what to expect and what’s expected of them. We’d look to repair and resolve any ruptures to these cultural agreements. If we cared.
If we cared as a society, murder or rape would be incredibly rare. It would be unthinkable, as it would be too devastating to comprehend. It would be shocking, as each person would have grown up to know the deep value of life and the value of consent. If we cared.
If we cared as a society, we’d prioritise the healing of hurt, as we’d know that when one person suffers the whole community suffers. If we cared.
If we cared, there’d be no taboos, as we’d know how damaging it is to have problems that fester in silence and in the shadows. Loneliness, addictions, traumas, fears, urges, would all be laid bare so that we could actively work on them for the benefit and proactive protection of all. If we cared.
If we cared, we wouldn’t punish people, because we’d know it doesn’t make for a functional society. Instead, methods of rehabilitation would be used to reduce the risk of harm to assist the transgressor and the transgressed back into fold. Taking someone’s liberty away would not be done lightly and would only be undertaken to avert any immediate danger of harm. If we cared.
If we cared, we’d trust people because we’d know that not trusting people leads to problems further down the line. If we cared.
If we cared, we’d aim to be consistently fair with all of our citizens, as we’d know just how destructive it is to have unfairness and inequality within a group of people or population. If we cared.
If we cared, there’d be no them and us, no tribalism, no competing and conflicting ideologies, as we’d have learned a great lesson from previous generations as to how dangerous it is to be divided. If we cared.
If we cared, we’d be willing, as citizens, to constantly reflect on our wellness and constantly make adaptations and modifications. If we cared.
If we cared, we’d make sure to spread power out evenly across the board, because we’d know from history what happens when we don’t. If we cared.