Let’s go back to ….?

when present-day conditions are tough, the yearning to go back raises its head

Across the global community, there seems to be a far-right political backlash. I struggle to get my head around this, especially given our time's global social, economic, and climate conditions. And yet, perhaps it makes sense that during times of local and global uncertainty, the desire to go back to certainty will raise its head. 

There is a story about a community of people who experienced this deep desire to go back when facing dire times:

Long, long ago there was a community of people who were taken captive and enslaved. They worked tirelessly for their masters, with a bare minimum of food, water, and housing. After generations of slogging it out as slaves, they finally gained their freedom. Yey! Now they could make their way to a new homeland, free to live their own lives. 

The journey to the new land meant they had to traverse a harsh desert terrain. They had to endure sand storms, a burning heat during the day, and long nights of bitter cold. Each evening they had the arduous task of setting up camp— putting up their tents, cooking what little food they had over an open fire, sleeping on the hard ground. Each morning they had to pack it all up again and move on, not sure if they were even heading in the right direction. The journey itself was arduous, but then it wasn’t long before they ran out of food and water. They began to grumble among themselves. Then they got angry. They turned on their leader shouting, “why did you bring us out here, simply to die in the desert? We were better off as slaves! We didn’t have much of a life, but at least it was a life!” There was certainty in being a slave. 

When times are tough, the yearning to go back to certainty is a strong driver. When I notice this yearning arising in me, I remember that story above. I remind myself that in reality there is no turning back, because it was those circumstances back there that caused the present-moment uncertainty. So, going back is not an option. I/we can only move forward— grieving what was lost while at the same time forging a new way of being in my/our present-day the world.