‘On the couch’ with Jasminda

DEAR Jasminda,

How do we cope when there is so much chaos in the world? It feels as though every new day brings a worse news story than the day before.

Georgia D.

Dear Georgia,

There is no point denying that the world feels as though it is in a massive state of flux at the moment.

It is hard to navigate each day when news stories alert us to escalating conflicts, rising fuel prices, and confoundedly, in the midst of it all, reports of a stoush between Kyle and Jacquie O (which is somehow up there as a headline with the war (I mean… excursion?!?) in Iran.

Georgia, you are not alone in the way you are feeling.

Many people are rubbing their collective heads so much that toupee sales are rising at the same rate as fuel.

The positive (yes, let’s look for a positive) is that times of immense chaos and uncertainty are often a precursor to a new state of being.

After flux comes renewal (or so the theory goes).

There will be a time when the events of today will form part of history, and that is when we can analyse what went wrong (and how) so future leaders can learn from the mistakes of current ones.

In the meantime, be as kind as you can to yourself and others.

Sometimes one gentle, understanding act can have a ripple effect.

Maybe it’s as simple as saying hello to a stranger at a bus stop, or carrying a person’s groceries to their car, or throwing a ball to your dog, or making your partner a cup of tea.

Don’t underestimate the value of small steps, Georgia.

The world is full of decent people and sometimes it can be hard to see that when some current decision-makers seem hell-bent on destroying what we could have (namely a peaceful and sustainable world).

I’m not trying to get all John Lennon on you (imagine!) but at some point, for the sake of future generations, there will need to be a reckoning for those who get richer and more powerful by peddling the politics of division and hatred. This earth only has so much to give.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.