The Temptation to Retreat

Are we going into or retreating from the Light?

I have noticed in myself of late a tendency to be more and more cynical.  It seems the world has gone mad.  Both the world at large with the madness of government, and in my social circles.  I wage a personal fight against burn out and am challenged by what I perceive to be  negativity and unreasonableness.  Is it just me?  

This is when I just want to retreat from the world sometimes.  Not listen to the news or read the paper.  Block political and moralizing postings on Facebook.  Avoid discussion of current events with family and friends.  All in an effort to make it stop.  To make the pain subside.  To be happy.


Nothing could be worse for the human condition than for us to retreat.  If you give in to the irrational, they win.  If we allow ourselves to become cynical it then leads to being apathetic.  My church friend Kay wrote in a Facebook post,  "It's hard not to become cynical and then apathetic, but giving up is a very scary option."   Amen.   No feelings is worse than even the most painful feeling I can imagine.  

Another friend said she was not going to listen to the news, (not even Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert!), until the current stalemate in Washington DC resolves itself.  That might be a long time.  A very long time.  She has reconsidered, but it was certainly understandable considering the anguish over what's going on in the world can cause one.

No, we need to realize we shouldn't retreat as in giving up.  I know I shouldn't do that.  I must remain in touch with what's going on.  If I stay behind closed doors and do nothing, not even something as simple as talking about it, I become part of the problem.  Remember the Silent Majority?

A retreat to restore one's soul and recreate one's energy is one thing.  But sooner or later we must emerge.  Engage.  Educate ourselves.  Make informed judgements, whatever those may be.  We'll never soar with the eagles if we let the turkeys get us down.  I need to post that somewhere because I do forget.  It can be so much easier to sink into the sea of cynicism.  But with sinking, there follows drowning.  And then what do you do?  

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