If you could do one thing to make a difference in the world, I think something really achievable would be … .to be kinder to others … and kinder to ourselves. And maybe if bullying and abuse and neglect and things like that still went on, kindness might be the one thing that makes those suffering feel more hopeful about their future - and feel less alone in the world.
Previous posts on Black Dog about about the role of kindness in society here …..and teaching children about kindness here. What would it be like if we were kinder to our children here. A story about a boy who changed with world with the simple idea, ‘Pay it forward’, here. And how Clunk & Jam notes you can collect and share from the Black Dog website might be able to make a difference here. And passing this on to others could quite possibly make a difference too….
Following on from the previous Army of Ink trooper about being ‘enough’. Check out ‘Grounded Researcher’ Brene Brown’s website and particularly her talk on TED TV about the power of vulnerability, not being ‘good enough’, worthiness, connectedness, shame, authenticity, courage and more. It’s a must see, must think more about one …and you’ll find an interview with Brene in the latest Dumbo Feather Magazine too. Pass it on and you just might hear the world take a quiet sigh of relief as this courageous woman shares her story, her ideas, her vulnerability …
Bit of a funny Friday story …
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For a woman that was the embodiment of the golden era, Poet and Singer Patti Smith resists the pull of the past, instead inhabiting the space between now and tomorrow…
“I believe that we, that this planet, hasn’t seen its golden age. Everybody says it’s finished…art’s finished, rock and roll is dead. God is dead. Fuck that! This is my chance in the world … If only each generation would realise that the time for greatness is right now when they’re alive. The time to flower is now.” Start the year by passing this Clunk and Jam note on through your Facebooks (icon below) and get friends on board to support The Black Dog Project too… click on the typewriter to print a Clunk & Jam note to stick up somewhere (private or public). If you’re new to this, more about Clunk and Jam and how to make wallpaper from the notes here.
Just some light conversation and things to think about as the red man approaches…. Morticia Addams used to cut the flowers off roses and arrange the thorned stems in vases. An alternative is to put the flower tops in a small bowl – they last for ages and dry to shape in the pot… if you neglect them long enough. I gave my ‘wise man of the couch’ (psychologist) one of these black iron pots (pictured) and often bring him a rose bud picked fresh from the garden. When I return for the next session, the rose is still there in its pot. And it would actually last forever just like that. It’s symbolic of containment for me I think – and maybe a sense of continuity. But all that analysis aside – it’s also about the joy of giving. With Christmas upon us check these previous posts… ‘Wanting Small’. This about ‘Less is More’. And something the think about in relation to ‘Unhappiness’. Pass it on Morticia style – click, click…
A strange phenomenon… when I go on Youth Focus camps and spend time with young people – one thing strikes me everytime. 20-25 young individuals arrive to spend a weekend together and often there’s only one thing they have in common – they’re all different. That ‘difference’ too, seems to be the carrier of loneliness, the feeling of disconnection and lack of sense of place in the world. But, over the space of a weekend, that very difference is what unites and strengthens them. Why? Because, unlike the world outside the camp environment, difference is valued and accepted there. So it’s safe to reveal their true selves, however strange, weird and unacceptable that might be to the outside world. And they are safe also to try on new ways of being without judgement and criticism. And it always makes me wonder … what if being different meant you’d never be alone again….what if society valued and appreciated difference as opposed to casting aside those who don’t fit the mould.
What if individual flags were flown in the face of the ‘one size fits all’ (we know it doesn’t). Wouldn’t the world be a far more interesting (and safer) place to be …. pass it on or click on the typewriter for a Clunk & Jam note you can print and stick somewhere to get others thinking about this strange phenomenon- and perhaps make some strange difference to the world….
Drawings by Ann James found in an old school magazine called ‘Blast Off’.
