Have you noticed how grumpy people are these days? Not without reason, of course. We live in a world where competition fostered from an early age makes us ill. We are encouraged to judge people for their shortcomings and, when we cannot live up to our own expectations, we often blame others for our misfortunes. When we become depressed and disillusioned with our lives, we are put on pharmaceutical drugs and booked in for months that turn into years of psychotherapy, to ruminate on our disappointments in others and ourselves. And so we are divided into smaller and smaller fragments.
Official Covid strategies made interpersonal communications worse.
Through lockdowns and masking, manipulative psychological operations that made people fear and hate, and increased dependency on gadgets that advocate emojis and avatars, mere caricatures of our whole beings, we have forgotten how to meaningfully communicate with one another.
As children we are taught “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never harm me” – but do we really believe this to be true? Is this why we sometimes say the most dreadful things in the heat of a moment that diminish one another, and brush aside notions that our bad moods hurt others?
Give yourself a break
Last month I was fortunate enough to spend a few days away with my man in the beautiful Welsh countryside. What a joy it was to walk freely, pick wild blueberries, admire wild flowers, listen to bird song and just be in the lush green hills. For the most part we kept the Wi-Fi and our phones off. We used ordinance survey maps to navigate on foot and written instructions and map books to navigate by car, which was a lot of fun!
In the evenings, we talked and read books. On one evening, we found a DVD to watch, which provoked thoughts to inspire this article. The DVD was a little independent film called Bagdad Café. I recall watching it when it came out in 1988 and, though I remembered little of substance, I remembered it had value. The re-watch was a tad harrowing - uncomfortable personal relationships and degeneracy - and not least because dramatic licence indulged with some over-acting. However, given the limited time a film director has to tell the beginning, middle and end of a story, we forgave this element and became engrossed.
The little tale is set at a roadside motel and café, Bagdad Café, in the middle of the American no-where. It’s about a stressed woman café owner called Brenda whose angry moods and violent tongue impact all around her. A Bavarian woman in differently difficult circumstances pitches up out of nowhere on foot with a large suitcase, which turns out to contain men’s clothing and a beginner’s magic set, and things begin to change.
I don’t wish to spoil the ending for you in case you decide to watch it but what the story expresses well is that we can choose how to show up in the world. Further, it effectively illustrates that our moods, emotions, attitudes and words have a real-time effect upon others. Whilst we may feel justified in difficult circumstances to lash out at others or be a grump, mean words can really take the oomph out of our friends and family at best, and cause deep wounds in our collective soul at worst.
Nikola Tesla said if you want to understand the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.
There is plenty of information out there now to show that we are energetic beings and prevailing frequencies, be they natural or man-made, can harm (e.g nuclear or EMF radiation) or heal us (e.g. quantum medicine technology, sound healing).
It’s never too late to change!
Let’s reflect on how we can help and not hinder the wellbeing of others by choosing a brighter way to show up in the world. Instead of being known as a grumpy so-and-so, bringing people down with harsh words and rotten behaviour, nursing a back story as justification, why not try something different? Why not surprise those around you, kick the grumpy habit, and choose to be kinder, lighter and cheerful from now on? Then sit back and enjoy how your good vibes rub off on those around you.
Having a sense of humour in these times is essential!!!
If you haven’t laughed out loud yet today, this may do it. If not, please let us know what does!
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Good advice, thx.
Big Python fan - for some reason, watching the behavior and antics of the current US admin always makes me think of a Monty Python episode.
Not sure why that is.....
I've enjoyed Bagdad Cafe!! Glad you were able to give the director enough leeway that you could as well. Then, on the bigger point: the grumpiness in many people. Yes, And also the lack of attention to creative things, to creativity. It's give me the facts, ma'am, all the facts, and more and more and more facts. In fact (another fact), I've just started a creativity cafe - Zee's Cafe Cafe - for the people in my Truth Tellers Club. Everyone is encouraged to bring in something creative they love. They can perform if they want to. They can also just bring in a favorite poem or song or picture. The first time we meet will be on Friday. I'm very much looking forward to it.