Born for Our Times
A Guide to Feeding the Good Wolf by Joan Borysenko
W
e are living in what Mark Twain called interesting times. Polls report that the majority of Americans are experiencing anxiety, depression and stress. If you’re one of them, I want to support the emergence of your Wise Mind. Staying calm in the chaos is the root of wisdom in these challenging times.
Do you recall the parable of the two wolves? A grandfather tells his grandson that all humans have two wolves battling inside themselves. The good wolf is kind, creative, brave and ready to act when the time is right. The other wolf is greedy, judgmental, hateful and filled with fear. The grandson thinks about this and then asks, “Which
wolf will win?” The grandfather says, “Whichever one you feed.” Research in mind-body medicine and positive psychology prove the point. Focusing on the positive can help keep stress in check. But more than that, it helps rewire our mind-body system for resilience, happiness and creativity. Thinking about change as a time of breakthrough, rather than breakdown, is a basic necessity for staying calm and centered. The late Ilya Prigogine, a mathematician and physicist at the University of Texas at Austin, won a Nobel Prize in 1977 for his Theory of Dissipative Structures. Whether we are talking about an atom or a solar system, disruption leads to re-creation. The energy released when an old system crumbles, frees the energy to reconfigure at a higher level of function. That’s the image to hold in mind during these times of rapid change.
The journey from breakdown to breakthrough is a classic rite of passage comprising three parts:
1. Separation: the ground beneath us gives way and uncertainty prevails. 2. Liminality: the time between no longer and not yet. The old system is defunct but a new one has not yet emerged. This passage is rife with both danger and opportunity. It is a time for grief, reflection, soul searching, finding allies and mentors, and working together. 3. Return: when the crisis passes, there is a return to an improved level of
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