So much has happened geopolitically, culturally and spiritually during my absence from this space.. January was bananas. February was bananas. Between Iran, Australian fires, the largely meaningless political theatre of "impeachment", Kobe's passing and the Gayle King fallout..

I'm grateful that I was not actively engaged in this space during all of that. It was a nice change of pace to grapple with the complexities of the shit show currently appearing as the "human experience" in the relative privacy of personal conversation and internal meditation.

As I've said before, it's quite nice to no longer feel obliged to continually provide the unpaid labor of in-the-moment analysis for "the world" and the journalists who dredge through social media for headlines and hot takes to deliver to their surveillance capitalist employers.

But I do still dip in and read the commentary #onhere even when I'm not contributing. Much of what I've seen is sobering. I wonder about what millions of us are losing by neglecting to think and feel from our highest selves before insta-writing.

One of the greatest revelations I've had in my sabbatical from social media is the toxicity of judgment that drives much of what occur in this space. These days, I think a lot about the desire to condemn others (and feel validated in that condemnation) that fuels "polarization"..

Judging, condemning, call out culture.. I think about my own attraction to these things. One of the skills I've been working on is the unwieldy art of wig snatching without condemnation. It's not easy. But its a great deal more effective and less harmful than alternatives.

What does it mean to unapologetically express righteous indignation in the face of injustice and harmful behavior while also remaining grounded in an unwavering recognition of the dignity and unlimited potential of those whose actions we seek to challenge and correct?

I tried to write from this state of consciousness in HTBLSAR and I believe that intention was received by most readers, consciously or not. But I wasn't able to maintain that awareness through the entire book. Judgement is there, for sure. But I like to think compassion wins.

I try to hold a seed of awareness grounded in the recognition of our interconnectedness and shared dignity even when I'm snatching wigs. Sometimes it really is a mustard seed. Sometimes it's so tiny, it's barely there. This is very hard, unending and unyielding internal work.

Years ago, I felt immensely justified unleashing harsh condemnation when appropriate and felt cathartic joy in that unleashing. I still understand the desire for marginalized voices to be asserted with strength and due force. But I'm in a different headspace and heartspace now..

I am proud of the work I did to find my voice .. but also proud of the space I've given myself to let that voice (and, more importantly, the consciousness behind it) change and grow.