My Heart Breaks, I Pray for All

What is going on in the world affects us all on many different levels, both seen and unseen. For me, what's currently happening also feels a touch personal, closer to home in some small way. I made the mistake of going on social media today, barely a moment in and I realised this was not the place to be, not for me, not right now. Especially during a retreat, the very thing I advise people against during a retreat! So here I am instead, on beyondimogen.com - my little nook of the internet. I'm not sure if this post will ever make it elsewhere. -- I am horrified by what is going on in the world on all fronts. The divisiveness, the hate, the lines we have drawn in the sand, too many to count. It all feels impossible. How can we make our way through all of this? What is to be done? Today is the anniversary of my grandmothers death. She walks with me closely still to this day. In someways closer than ever... but that's a story for another day. My grandmother's family were Ukrainian Jews, my grandfather's, Russian Jews. The current war between the two was…

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Love Not Fear: Freedom of Speech

I saw an article about a popular video platform (ahem... shall remain nameless) banning "medically unsubstantiated" content today... It's not the first thing I've seen in recent weeks and months on various platforms that brings into question freedom of speech and censoring of content all in the name of trying to curb "misinformation" or "fake news". Once upon a time misinformation or fake news would have been to call the earth round rather than flat. It would have been a heresy to suggest it even but science and understanding is a constantly evolving thing, a working hypothesis rather than an 'Absolute Truth'.   Lack of freedom of speech honestly terrifies me as a proposition for society. It's not even the thin end of the wedge... I think we're past that analogy. I understand the imperative need to work and pull together as a collective, especially right now but not in the name of shutting down exploration, not in the name of shutting down thinking outside of the box.   To try and calcify and control life's expressions and evolution is madness. And while I do see a lot of weird and opposing views and opinions out there, even those termed…

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