Weltschmerz: the sorrow that one feels regarding world pain, a state of world-weariness.
I wrote the following essay last week, but wasnāt quite ready to hit the publish button, probably because I hate to admit to wallowing in a mud puddle of depression. While there is still plenty of global mud to be mired in, at least here in our USA thereās a glimmer of hope that we will be able to save ourselves from the frightening specter of another #rump reign of misrule. (Thank you, Universe and Joe and Kamala! š) Letās continue doing the work. We will keep our fingers crossed, praying, wishing on shooting stars, and all the other stuff.
So my sense of weltschmerz is subsiding as I sense a collective feeling of hope gathering after the past few days of hopeful newsā¦ I for one will continue to keep myself away from the mud puddle.
7.17.24
Battling the weltschmerz: flipping a coin helps
āWondering About the Disappearance of Iceā 36x36ā acrylic/mixed media on canvas 2022. This is a painting inspired by my trip 2022 to Iceland, where the glacier is melting at unprecedented speed. Yet another reason for my weltschmerzā¦
OKāI apologize in advance for the dark tone here. But this is whatās bubbling up at the moment.
Weltschmerz: the sorrow that one feels regarding world pain, a state of world-weariness.
Iāve been battling with my own personal weltschmerz, and Iām pretty sure Iām not alone. Webster defines it as āmental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world to the ideal state.ā Well. We know that the ideal state would be world peace, which has never been the case in the history of the world, as far as anyone can tell. So clearly there are varying degrees of weltschmerz. With my safe, secure and comfortable life, itās not as if I am actually impacted by the violence of the war happening in Ukraine, at the behest of an evil, power-hungry, sociopathic madman/monster. Nor am I personally affected by the unjust war raging in Gaza. I am, however, deeply emotionally affected when I think of the terrible suffering, pain and tragedy being experienced every single minute of every day by innocent people in those faraway lands.
What drags me into a place of dark disconsolance are the constant reminders of humanityās inhumanity, mostly brought about by powerful leaders with agendas of greed, hate, power, ownership at any cost. Those in power who seemingly have no soul, no creative expression, no love of others. Who live their lives with no regard for the human spirit. Who eschew peace, love, caring, art, creativity. These people have always been present throughout history, and somehow they always seem to rise to the top, to come to power, to force their agendas on others and to amass wealth and power.
There are terms- tyrant, dictator, despot. Psychopath, sociopath, evildoer. It boggles the mind. There are also those who may not quite be at the top, who might not wield as much power, but who believe it is their right to oppress, hate, and do harm to others in pushing their own beliefs and agendas. The overly righteous who are consumed by hatred, driven by fear, and want their own power. They are the followers of the evil ones at the top. And here in the U.S. there are plenty of them, following and believing their leader who leads with lies.
Who are these people? Where is the compassion? The humanity? Ā Those dangerous, hateful people exist. Always have. Looking back in history, itās evidentāmanās inhumanity to other humans as well as to animals and our planet, for the sake of wealth, ego and power. Righteous entitlement combined with a dearth of compassion. A lust for all-consuming power over others.
I scratch my head, wondering about these peopleā the ones who seemingly have no soul, no creative expression, no compassion, no quest for goodness. Do they have total disregard for the human spirit, love, art, creativity? Do they even know that art, creativity, love and compassion exist? Do they not have any of that inside them?
Sometimes itās just so hard to get beyond what I see and hear, the horrific actions and misguided beliefs of others. The sad reality that greed and hatred and violence andĀ cruelty are so rampant in our society, in all societies.
When I go down the rabbit hole of despondency, I have to claw my way back up and drag myself out. I have to step outside of it, step over the goddam depression, the negative thinking and heartsickness. First, I have to turn off the news. Then look out the window. Take some deep breaths and a walk with my dog. Open the gratitude faucet. I have to flip the coin, embrace what really matters. Right on the other side of all of that darkness is the flip side, the yang to the yin, the balance.
I know in my bones that we just have to keep on keeping on, itās humanityās job. We gotta work through all this shit, like weāve been doing for the past how-many-thousands of yearsā I need to remind myself that yes, weāre evolving, even though it doesnāt seem like it when viewed from my limited perspective.
After all, thatās why weāre here. To evolve. Weāre all spiritual beings having a human experience, in all its messy forms, learning something, through the weltschmerz.
Writing is my new (renewed) passion, and Iām just getting started here on Substack. If you appreciate Continuing Wonderment and what Iām sharing, please let me know with a comment, a like ā¤ļø, and please subscribe, share, or restack. Thanks for being hereā¦ I truly value this community.
Such an amazing read and what you say here resonates with so many people, especially myself.
I frequently have to go on a news fast because I just cannot take it anymore and feel so helpless. As Michelle Obama recently observed though, we've all recently started feeling something we can hardly recognize - hope!
I LOVE the phrase "turning on the gratitude faucet." So excellent!
Dogs are very good for this kind of thing - and bring some flowers into the house xo
I hear you. Dark, hateful hearts perplex me. How do those people exist with any semblance of comfort or joy? If I find myself angry (which I too often am during our election season), I just feel off. I can't let myself stay there. It's so hard to imagine those who choose to stay in that darkness all the time.