(Written Wednesday January 15 2020)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coming home from a forest run. Fresh air. Dawn. Birds. River. Beautiful leaf-less trees. A delightful solo-reflection<\/em><\/strong> time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making a break at the bridge crossing the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had headwind all along, running upstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u00b4s not the first time I have experienced headwind. But looking how the river flows, how the wind makes little waves on the surface \u2013 I know, once I start running again, I\u00b4ll have the wind in my back, running with the wind, where the river flows. What a boost and relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wondered, or I could imagine, how right now a lot of people are feeling, who have had the wind in their back so far. Meaning: having established comfortable lives in line with mainstream culture, unquestioned. Yes, facing all of a sudden wind from a different direction might feel windy a bit. Tough. Unpleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A great danger I see is if things just \u201cturn around\u201d. (And this counts for many things). I am happy for tailwind. I am not happy for anybody else to have headwind. Life is no competition<\/em>. As in one of my favorite books (by Jostein Gaarder)<\/a> it is put across: We are all already winners in being on this planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, I am aware that quite some people currently feel that all of a sudden the wind has turned \u2013 and turned against them. It makes me feel sad and irritated when I hear that, for instance, my granny feels attacked by Greta Thunberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u00b4t think the point is to keep it like that. A little storm to wake us up \u2013 fine. But then, the question is: In which direction to go, together<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I experience a gap between people, between generations, the one not understanding the other. Where is the point in letting this lead into an \u201cagainst each other\u201d? Deep inside, I believe, we want the same: A future on this planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe, what feels like a lot of headwind for many right now can, ultimately, lead into a direction where we all perceive tailwind. It\u00b4s just a matter of re-orientation<\/em>. It\u00b4s asking ourselves what truly matters <\/em>to us, as a human society. And it\u00b4s a matter of how well we manage to encounter each other on respectful, authentic, empathetic grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work in progress, I\u00b4d say. I am on it. What about you?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n *<\/p>\n\n\n\n PS: What I have experienced as extremely powerful and helpful so far, in entering in dialogue with others, is Non-Violent Communication<\/em>. Marshall Rosenberg does not present a tool \u2013 but supports the establishment of a culture of compassionate communication. Highly needed. And requiring practice. What are we waiting for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here a video I found quite empowering, reminding us of the power of language and communication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n