“One must have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

The week´s Skidmore campus lockdown was a stark reminder of the ways in which we are detached from most our society’s most entrenched problems. And how these problems while ubiquitous can still seem very abstract unless we are directly confronted with them. On Monday many of us were hit personally with the startling reality our nation’s gun violence epidemic.

For many the event brought up feelings of one kind or another that we may not have known what to do with. Those feelings can be difficult to look at, let alone face but if we allow ourselves that chance they can bring clarity and understanding. Two things that are missing from any political discussion of these issues.

In both IFG sessions we took this as an opportunity to have a heartfelt discussion of guns and gun violence. By giving space to our emotions and sitting with them we were able to talk from our hearts not only did this allow us to see the issues in a different light but also helped us to find peace.

When we take the opportunity to face our emotional chaos we begin to see these emotions as teachers neither enemies nor obstacles but vehicles to the truth. We move away from our natural default setting to develop discernment by asking, “What’s really going on here?” as well generating compassion for yourself and the world.

Have a good week and as always stay tuned, stay interested and stay awake.