Towards a Better World: The Time and Effort we Expend — is it Worthwhile?
Mrs. Denmarkguy and I have returned from the week-long conference and retreat we went to, near Baltimore, Maryland.
Like seems to be true of most such events I have attended, I am suffering a bit from "conference brain," at the moment. Conference Brain is a bit difficult to explain... but I think of it as "not quite being myself" because my head is still filled with learning, insights, inspiration and realities I haven't quite finished processing... as I am also trying to go about being part of "normal life," now that we are back home.
To where will our ship sail?
What Do We Learn? Or Are We Just Deceiving Ourselves?
On some level, returning home has always felt like a bit of a letdown.
Maybe that's just natural.
We spend several days with like-kind minds and people, and there's an almost constant opportunity to interact and brainstorm with a lot of people who often see the world very similarly to ourselves... and yet tend to bring new and different perspectives to the table.
In the end though, the greatest task always seems to be to put some of thise new learning — these new insights — to work in a world that mostly doesn't really care. And that was a common theme (given that most of the people at the conference were very altruistic and idealistic about creating a better world) at the gathering we were at. HOW do we make a difference?
A spiky issue?
Closer to Home: Our Own Steemit Community
In some odd fashion, the conference made me consider our own community here, and the "bubble of hope" contained in the idea of #NewSteem surrounding the last major update we experienced.
Now that the dust has settled, are we actually better off? Or is it just "same old, same old," albeit in a new suit of clothes?
We spend all this time and effort working towards something we believe (or hope?) is somehow "better," but is that sense of "better" always usurped by a status quo centered around greed and self-involvement?
That was something we discussed quite a bit (in the context of the greater world) at the conference/retreat — is all the time and effort and hopes we put into creating something better going to bear fruit... now, later... or at ALL?
It is something I will continue to ponder, as I am home again and start going forward... trying to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Thanks for reading!
(Another #creativecoin creative non-fiction post)
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for this platform.)
Created at 191022 14:26 PDT
1113
Very cute!
Interesting post - and something I had internal conflicts with myself, for many a year.
When idealism (how you want the world to be) meets reality, (how the world is) it always tends to be idealism that end up with cuts and the bruises.
A friend of mine once said to someone who'd complained to him, 'I'm living beyond my means'
'Change your fucking means, then', was the reply.
The same could be applied to 'idealism' and 'reality.'
I discovered that with a more pragmatic approach, (but still with strains of idealism running through it), led to a happier life. For me.
Life's tough enough, and fighting a battle for a victory that you can never be witness to (for decades of your life) will just leave you mentally battered, and tired .
Not victorious and happy.
...'Change your ideals?'
this is not spiritual investment advice. Kharma can go up and can go down. Please do your own due diligence.
Nicely said.
I find myself increasingly moving towards more pragmatism. It's not easy, but I don't see a viable alternative. As the years roll by, I get more and more weary... and yet I remain reluctant to sell my soul for a few dollars...
For me, I would say that if you feel you're selling your soul - you ain't really moving away from pure idealism as a reality , more of as a 'project'.
I know what you mean- it wasn't an 'all in' shift of perspective for, but more of a 'slipping into deep waters from the shallow end' that took a few years of adjusting to the temperatures of the waters.
The thing I found, was that once you went in, (and didn't 'play' at it), you found that getting deeper didn't bother half as much as you thought it would, and my soul was no only still intact - but healthier for the experience.
Never sell your soul.
(maybe accept that it's not as precious as you once thought? I dunno -I totally made that up on the fly).
My bill is in the post. lol
I think the effects of the changes will really be seen ones we are out of the bear market. It’s kind of hard to quantify things at the moment as it’s mostly sidewalks direction like most of the other markets.
There also still quite a bit of end fighting going on between large stakeholders. While we should always expect something to be going on in the background as people disagree. Many seemed to think such a large change would have had massive results by now.
It’s something different I guess. Not quite sure I’d call it better. It at least has the opportunity to be.
Yeah... that about summarizes it. We have the opportunity for changes to happen, for the better. What will actually happen in the longer run... that remains to be seen.
How long it will be before this bear market ends... that's also just so much straw in the wind. But I plan to keep plugging away at it, and eventually hope there will be some kind of reward for persevering.
You know, I think as a whole, we as a society are typically on a forward path of progression. Typically. There are hiccups along the way, but I like to think we're continually getting better.
Whereas I think you are right — on some level — I also find myself unsure as to what exactly progress even IS, anymore...
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.
Hi, Guy,
Although it is at times tough to make the enthusiasm last, I love going to conferences and trade shows. I think talking with other people about things that matter is one of my best sources of insight and creativity. I'm always challenged to review and sometimes revise my own thinking.
Changing the world, truly making a difference, for me boils down mostly to changing myself and trying to communicate those changes to others. One of the greatest insights I've ever had came from Larken Rose. His books helped me see that I had been deluded into not "practicing what I preach" when it came to my relationship to human government. The real breakthrough came from reading Rose's "The Most Dangerous Superstition."
Hope you've recovered (in the best possible way) from "conference brain" by now. ;)
😄😇😉
