A Tiger in the Tank

By RAVI DYKEMA

Tired of hearing about our gloomy recession? Environmental degradation? Endless wars? Planets lining up ominously in the cosmos, per ancient Mayan’s predictions? Me too.

So I will risk my reputation for level-headedness and whistle an optimistic tune. I really think there’s LOTS to be cheerful about.

First, my teen-aged daughter and son just this morning flew off to South America to learn Spanish and work on organic farms for the entire winter (summer there). Their whole adventurous lifetimes stretch before them. How can I feel gloomy about tomorrow with that thrilling mountain to glide down?

Second, as I alluded to in my last editorial, the masses of folks in the USA and many other countries have suddenly woken up to our shared stewardship of Planet Earth—at least as regards energy and climate change. Also, Colorado’s leadership appears to be staking the State’s future on the new energy economy. How can you feel gloomy with that thrilling rapids to navigate?

Third, human ingenuity and helpfulness rebound in times of need. And our species has an extraordinary ability to create and innovate. How can we feel gloomy when that reality show is on?

Sure the economy looks grim, our two wars inflict immense suffering, religious extremism sets tribe against tribe, and human populations overrun other species’ habitats. But look what people have done in the past: figured out how to harness million-year-old sunshine inside metal cans (internal combustion engines, a few of which are hurtling my kids toward the equator), linked the world with instant communication (hear me, kids?), and cured diseases that had been killing millions of people.
I may have a larger measure of faith in people’s ingenuity than do most people. But that’s because I interview such innovators all the time. In this issue, for example, William Walsh and Fernando Gomez-Pinilla (see page 20) reveal solutions they are discovering to mental health problems that afflict a huge portion of people on Earth.

In past issues Karen Armstrong and Marc Ian Barasch inspired compassionate views of others, including enemies; Stephen Porges offered his theory of the social nervous system; Theo Colborn helped us avoid endocrine-disrupting chemicals, Peter Levine taught us to heal from trauma; and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Dan Millman and Don Miguel Ruiz all illuminated magical present-moment-awareness that unleashes so much potential is us all. (All these interviews are available at NexusPub.com, click “interviews.”)

My fourth reason to be cheerful is because cheerfulness works better. Try it out. Spend the rest of the day noticing and ruminating on any obstacle-to-success, irritant, ominous sign, or depressing economic news that enters your view. See how innovative and effective you are.

Then, tomorrow, try cheerfulness and irrational devil-may-care optimism and see how that revs your engines.
How can you feel gloomy with that tiger in your tank?