So what's in it for you?
And what am I trying to achieve here?
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It’s been a crappy half-year for just about everyone in this world, including me. Personally, for me, it’s been a year of losses. I dealt with the death of a parent, the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, sickness, insomnia, self-doubt, and new-found anxiety for the health of my remaining parent. And the year is still only half done.
But this isn’t about any of those things. If there is a single word I’d want to use to describe this newsletter, I’d pick “hope”.
The world has gone crazy. We can choose to let that kill our spirit, or we can choose to hang on to hope – for just a little bit. And then a little bit longer. As long as it takes.
So where does “Navigating a World Gone Crazy” come in?
What gives you hope? I’ll tell you what works for me. Uplifting reads. Positive thoughts. People around the world making a difference. Ordinary people looking out for others. Stories about human connection. Also, jokes, funny videos, and good puns 😊
These are the kinds of stories I plan to send out through this weekly email. Because doesn’t a dose of positivity in the inbox sound really good right now?
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This is a really touching post. You are a really good writer.
Today I received a WhatsApp post today. I don't know whether it resonates with you. I am in the process of posting it on all my social media channels.
"This too shall pass."
A beautiful message in business as in life. Let me elaborate with a story I received today, from a friend, on WhatsApp.
*Parable*
There was a king and he once said to the court sages - I have a ring with one of the finest diamonds in the world and I want to hide a message under the stone that can be useful in a situation of extreme despair. I will give this ring to my heirs and I want it to serve faithfully. Think of what kind of message will be there. It must be very short to fit in the ring.
The sages knew how to write treatises, but did not express themselves in one short sentence. They Thought and thought, but did not come up with anything.
The king complained about the failure of his venture to a faithful old servant who raised him from infancy and was part of the family. And the old man said to him:
“I’m not a sage, I’m not educated, but I know such a message. For many years spent in the palace, I met a lot of people. And once I served a visiting mystic whom your father invited. And he gave me this message. I ask that you don’t read it now. Save it under the stone and open it only when there’s no way out at all.”
The king listened to the old servant.
After some time, the enemies attacked the country and the king lost the war. He fled on his horse and his enemies pursued him. He was alone, his enemies were many. He rode to the end of the road. There was a huge deep cliff before him, if he fell there, it is the end. He could not go back, as the enemies were approaching. He already heard the clatter of their horses' hooves. He had no way out. He was in complete despair.
And then he remembered the ring. He opened it and found an inscription: “This too shall pass”
After reading the message, he felt that everything was quiet. Apparently the pursuers got lost and proceeded in the wrong direction. Horses were no longer heard.
The king was filled with gratitude to the servant and the unknown mystic. The words were powerful. He closed the ring. And set out on the road. He gathered his army and returned to his state.
On the day when he returned to the palace, they arranged a magnificent meeting, a feast for the whole world - the people loved their king. The king was happy and proud.
The old servant came up to him and said softly: “Even in this moment, look at the message again.”
The King said, “Now I am a winner, people are celebrating my return, I'm not in despair, not in a hopeless situation."
“Listen to this old servant,” the servant answered. “The message works not only in moments when everything is bad, but also in moments of victory.”
The king opened the ring and read:
"This too shall pass."
And again he felt a silence fall over him, although he was in the midst of a noisy dancing crowd. His pride dissolved. He understood the message. He was a wise man.
And then the old man said to the king; “Do you remember everything that happened to you? Nothing and no feeling is permanent. As night changes to day, so moments of joy and despair replace each other. Accept them as the nature of things, as part of life"