The Heart of a Child
Joy is legitimate, and we are free.
This story is about a pure heart of a child. It is also about hope under pressure.
The moment is both tense and exciting. But even the most shameless tyrants of this planet don’t own our souls—which they know—and so they try to put a spell of fear on us and separate us from our senses.
Right now, I think we are in a genuinely meaningful moment in history—and things could go in either direction, depending on what we choose. I believe that this is a spiritual challenge and an opportunity for clarity. I also believe that as long as we don’t let them scare us, there is great hope. The universe supports the brave and the loving—that much I know, and it is one of those times when we have to be brave despite the fact that we have no idea how long it will take us to prevail.
And yes, it’s crazy right now (including in Canada where the authorities are arresting protesters and yes, actually freezing the donors’ bank accounts, which signals an end of a democracy—unless the Emergencies Act is revoked). Yes, the uncertainty is thick in the air. And yes, I find Edward Dowd’s general theory about the current events being a setup for “managing” an impending major financial collapse generally plausible, although I hope for him to be wrong (as does he).
But still, this is about clarity and doing what’s right. The more they squeeze us, the stronger we get. Physics exists, and they can’t squeeze us indefinitely. The way I look at it, we are almost inside a classic children’s story where the villains do the villain’y thing and try to own everything—but with a lot of faith, patience, and courage, good things prevail, in due time.
Now, about the drawing. The drawing is by a nine-year old girl called Arénie. Arénie is a sweet, creative (also super cute) child who is a fearless thinker, even at her tender age of nine. When I saw it, I immediately wanted to share it (with permission from her and her mom) because she gets straight to the point.
Kids are not enjoying this—and even if today, they do what they are told and accept the existing conditions as the only conditions they know, it’s going to haunt them. And perhaps it’s time for us, the adults, to come alive at long last—and shake off the shackles of fear that have been holding us back. Children need to see that happiness and freedom are possible.
A tangent: As an adult, I spent a lot of time thinking about the generational hang-ups that came with a Soviet upbringing. I’ve thought about what about my childhood I would change, if I could. My childhood was fine—but if I could, I would very passionately make it so that my adults were free. I would love to have known free and happy adults as a kid! Today, that feeling inspires me to insist on joy in everything I do—because joy is a legitimate feeling, and what is life without joy?
By the way, I suspect that forgiving our parents and allowing ourselves to shed the generational trauma is a part of what we all are destined to do in this life. Once we shed it, the sky is the limit to what we can do!
Yes, the past two years have been hard—and it may indeed get worse before it gets better—but I think we’ll prevail. Yes, it’ll take courage, and patience, and love. But we’ll prevail.
We are born free. May the pure heart of a child guide us toward happiness, dignity, and our total victory.
May it be so.
Oh this fighting is a grind though and right now I'm tired. 96% of victorians over the age of 16 are now Jabbed and there are walls closing in on me and my children. I could go on but saving my strength for the next round.
I'm certain that we'll prevail. I mean that sincerely, not as an expression of false bravado or just hopeful/wishful thinking. Nor is it a Pollyanna vision, as the damage yet to be done by the authoritarians may be immense.
My certainty comes from one simple truth. We ARE free. That is an unassailable ontological fact of our existence. We were made free. That principle was DECLARED in 1776, not asserted or argued. All of humanity was invited to share in the fruits of that realization, and it has changed the world forever.
Like others, I fear for our children. Will they grow up in a world where freedom is brutalized and beaten down, where it is seldom seen, rarely tasted? Maybe. But I don't think so. It may be that they will live in a hybrid world. Where freedom is here, but not there. Where the powerful punish its expression, though they cannot extinguish it. But I think rather that we're like Europe in 1942 or 1943. We know the victory will come, but how many will fall in the struggle?
What I'm saying is that freedom cannot be extinguished. Its nature does not permit it. Think of your Soviet upbringing. Did anyone have to teach you to yearn for freedom, or was that a natural longing? In a society where the habits and structures of freedom were suppressed and distorted, did it require some improbable fluke of nature for the longing after it to appear in the hearts of children? What the heart knows, the mind will come to understand. And what the mind grasps cannot fail to appear in the world if it is true. Freedom is true. We must all hold to that realization in the midst of the battle.
As for the battle, I think it is not as dark as it could have been or as it appeared even a few months ago. I think the would-be masters made a fatal error of overreach. They sprung their trap too soon and it misfired. They can never make us unsee what we've seen, and far more of their malfeasance may yet be made visible, perhaps soon. There are too many of us, and we've built a beachhead that they cannot overrun. This will forever hamper them in their plans. I think we've prevented their victory, but the big question is whether we can ensure ours.