The word “resolution” is defined in several ways. Among those, it means “to pledge to resolve something,” and “that something has been resolved.” If we break the word “resolve” down into its two basic syllables, we find yet another definition: something that needs to be “solved” again. That suggests that it wasn’t solved the first time, so we must try again. And I find that nowhere does that sentiment fit more accurately than in how we treat each other along this journey we’re sharing and that we call Life.
While we get one chance at life and/or “getting it right,” we do have many more chances to make many of the situations we experience along the way RIGHT. We often, however, make the mistake of assuming that we lack the power to do so, thus letting multiple opportunities go by without “resolving” anything. Sometimes, we believe that the burden of resolution lies with someone else, and so again, we let the chance to do something ourselves pass without anyone resolving a thing.
It occurred to me recently that every single thing that humans do creates some type of energy, and that energy can be either positive or negative, much like the electrical current that runs though the cords and wires that keep the mechanical things in our lives functioning. But unlike electricity, which is generated continually, I believe that human energy, good or bad, accumulates in the universe and, over time, that energy starts to increase exponentially until it appears to take on a life of its own and begins to weigh on us cosmically and spiritually.
Those who are more empathetic or sensitive are able to pick up on this, while many of the rest sometimes feel that something isn’t quite right, but we have no clue what that might be. We sense a vague imbalance in our own lives that we just can’t seem to put a finger on. Empaths know, while the rest of us operate in some type of weird alternate universe where we spend a lot of time seeking out and doing things that make us feel better about ourselves or about the world around us. Yet, it never seems to be enough, and we never seem to quite get to where we think it will be.
If we are honest with ourselves and take a good hard look around us, it’s obvious how much the incidence of mental and emotional illness has risen in the last few decades. While mental illness can and does have organic and physiological sources, the causes of much of the emotional upheaval that we see and experience are not so easily identified. Could some of them stem from the high level of negative energy that envelops us daily and that manifests itself in myriad different ways that we’ve come to accept as normal? Are all our social behaviors involuntary and simply indicators of our humanity? Or do we indeed have the opportunity in many cases to “resolve” whatever issue has helped to produce it and to make different choices in how we deal with certain circumstances and/or people?
I’m no expert, but I’ve been around long enough to know that how human beings treat each other in our culture has deteriorated to the point where trust is at a low ebb and isolationism is at an alarming new high. Throw technology into that mix, and you’ve got the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. A large segment of the population no longer communicates in person, or the “old-fashioned way.” How sad is it that our former mode of communication is now seen as antiquated given that most people would rather send their sentiments electronically than simply extend a hand in friendship or come to an agreement in person?
Human values such as respect and courtesy are also being seen more and more as “old-fashioned.” And these, like so many other human qualities, have always been rooted in how we feel about each other. I read somewhere that there are only two basic human emotions: love and fear. The former speaks for itself, but the latter is thought to be the source of all the unrest that blankets our world today and that has for centuries. History overflows with horrible examples of the lengths and extremes we are capable of due simply to fear...for when we fear, we get angry, and we all know how badly that can turn out.
Historically speaking, fear has resulted in more human pain and suffering than we should ever have endured or witnessed. Fear of control, fear of domination, fear of want, fear of pain, fear of lacking basic needs, or the fear of being thought less than worthy...the list is endless, and it is proof positive that negative energy regenerates itself until someone finally pulls the plug and screams ENOUGH! Fear has produced economical imbalances, wars, and collapsing systems. Fear drives children into closets to get away from an enraged drunken parent, and it has kept others showing great promise from succeeding. Enter the psychological and emotional illness that I mentioned earlier.
So what’s the answer? In theory, it’s so simple, it’s ridiculous. But in actual application, it seems to be the most difficult thing we are capable of, and it is found hiding in the word “resolve.”
Drop the prefix “re” and consider the second one, “solve.” What word do we see hiding there, an anagram whose shuffled letters are all too obvious:
LOVES, a verb conjugated in the present plural tense.
He loves, she loves, I love, you love, they love, we love...or we SHOULD love…
As we set sail through another New Year, let's pause to consider this. If fear produces so much negative cosmic energy, makes us ill and promotes conflict, not only between people but also between nations, just think what LOVE could do as it increases exponentially? What better New Year’s resolve could there be?
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