Brilliant as always! It’s interesting using grief in those kind of general sense (usually I think about it in response to a particular event-and perhaps the floods are that event but it also seems more general). Learning about “terror management theory” helped me a bit (a lot). Basically, if you think of the entire human journey with this bird’s eye view… learning what death is is this pretty big tragedy. It’s THE thing that we push into our unconscious the MOST (best argument against freud’s focus on sex I’ve ever heard. This one awesome sex/relationship therapist argues that eroticism (perhaps especially actualizing fantasy) is the antidote to death/despair/destruction, which is a cool combination of the two). So each event that throws death in our face, especially the ones that aren’t about missing a particular person in our day-to-day life is this big existential threat/dilemma that very few of us ever made sense of since we learned about this pretty horrific part of humanity (death). It helped me give some purpose to moments where I didn’t quite understand why I would be feeling so much. Seems like, in this case, you both identified with (or related important loved ones to) those who died, and then also understood the lack-of-villain in these matters… since, I hope you’re not placing yourself on trial for the murder of the snail.
Anyway, love you, you’re brilliant. I hope the sun shines today!
THIS! All of it! Have never heard of terror management theory, but my, doesn't that just really explain so much..."It helped me give some purpose to moments where I didn’t quite understand why I would be feeling so much." YES.
Also, I completely see how eroticism fits in as the antidote, and I think modern society has replaced eroticism with fixation on the personas we see through social media day in and day out—which makes it so easy for us to push everything else away, uncomfortable feelings especially.
And, yes, of course I placed myself on trial. I wanted to have a full on ceremonial burial for him/her!
Beautiful post. Well done and well said. Totally get it. So many of us have those moments, although obviously they are different but they're also not.
And also love your publication. But I might be biased since resilience is one of my major life mission things. And since we're doing Fierce Community as a nonprofit and as a Substack to help build resilience. ❤️
Vanessa, thank you so much. I appreciate your words of support. I just checked out your Substacks and agree heartily with your post and recommendations for on finding resilience and sanity when it feels the world is going to sh*t (i'm paraphrasing ;)
Brilliant as always! It’s interesting using grief in those kind of general sense (usually I think about it in response to a particular event-and perhaps the floods are that event but it also seems more general). Learning about “terror management theory” helped me a bit (a lot). Basically, if you think of the entire human journey with this bird’s eye view… learning what death is is this pretty big tragedy. It’s THE thing that we push into our unconscious the MOST (best argument against freud’s focus on sex I’ve ever heard. This one awesome sex/relationship therapist argues that eroticism (perhaps especially actualizing fantasy) is the antidote to death/despair/destruction, which is a cool combination of the two). So each event that throws death in our face, especially the ones that aren’t about missing a particular person in our day-to-day life is this big existential threat/dilemma that very few of us ever made sense of since we learned about this pretty horrific part of humanity (death). It helped me give some purpose to moments where I didn’t quite understand why I would be feeling so much. Seems like, in this case, you both identified with (or related important loved ones to) those who died, and then also understood the lack-of-villain in these matters… since, I hope you’re not placing yourself on trial for the murder of the snail.
Anyway, love you, you’re brilliant. I hope the sun shines today!
THIS! All of it! Have never heard of terror management theory, but my, doesn't that just really explain so much..."It helped me give some purpose to moments where I didn’t quite understand why I would be feeling so much." YES.
Also, I completely see how eroticism fits in as the antidote, and I think modern society has replaced eroticism with fixation on the personas we see through social media day in and day out—which makes it so easy for us to push everything else away, uncomfortable feelings especially.
And, yes, of course I placed myself on trial. I wanted to have a full on ceremonial burial for him/her!
Beautiful post. Well done and well said. Totally get it. So many of us have those moments, although obviously they are different but they're also not.
And also love your publication. But I might be biased since resilience is one of my major life mission things. And since we're doing Fierce Community as a nonprofit and as a Substack to help build resilience. ❤️
Vanessa, thank you so much. I appreciate your words of support. I just checked out your Substacks and agree heartily with your post and recommendations for on finding resilience and sanity when it feels the world is going to sh*t (i'm paraphrasing ;)