TIME SLOWS

I’m laying here in the sun on day something of isolation, 10? I don’t know. I don’t really need to keep track of the days anymore. And although I have all of this time on my hands, I am stumped with what to write about. Here goes…

I have managed to keep myself incredibly busy while locked down, allowing myself time to be productive, to exercise, to do some odd jobs around the house, to read and write, to make some funny videos, and to completely bludge. You quickly realise how much time we actually have in our day when we have absolutely no where to be.

I don’t feel rushed anymore. I am completing more tasks. I managed to turn my entire business online in just a few short days, still with plenty to do, but the foundations and systems are there. I have time to cook nice meals. Court and I are having more quality conversations. I am speaking to more friends and family than ever before. 

As scary and uncertain as everything is, being ‘still’ here at home and being forced to slow down is allowing me to think more clearly. It is allowing me the time to think about the world’s current situation. Clearly it is a little fucked. But I’m confident that we will be okay. Here is why…

I’ve been reading 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson. Throughout he talks about Order and Chaos and how we all need a little bit of both in order to maintain balance. If everything is in Order, we don’t learn, we don’t progress, we don’t test and try new things in order to become better. We need a little Chaos, a little unknown, to drive us forward. Without Chaos we would become bored, hopeless and without purpose. And without purpose we would eventually become extinct. 

Financially, yeah just about everyone including the big wigs are going to be a bit fucked. And you know what? I don’t really care. Everything was getting so damn expensive, everybody was becoming more and more financially selfish, our world was pushing harder and harder towards the far end of capitalism, racing to the top of the money mountain. As much as capitalism works relatively well, all it took was a flu-like virus to bring it to its knees. 

We have spiralled into an incredibly unbalanced level of Chaos. We are currently without Order, but we are desperately searching for it. It is early days, but I feel we are getting there. We the people have started to create a new order of our own. 

We are all lucky enough to live in such an interconnected world (ironically, this is also the cause of our current situation). Since its inception, social media has caused a plethora of social problems. But now, amongst all the Chaos, people are beginning to realise what is most important in their lives. Our families, our friends, social connection. We never realised how much we rely on each other for our own mental well-being until now. 

If I could think of a few words to describe the current state of social media, it’d be ‘empathy’, ‘care’ and ‘connection’. Well also ‘comedy’. Never have the socials ever been so funny (just watch my Isolation Diaries on Insta and now TikTok @stuart_cunningham27, you are welcome). Everyone is looking out for each other. Sharing words, images and videos of kindness. Spreading messages with the intent to ensure each other’s safety and to maintain connection when we currently cannot physically. And sharing what currently matters to them most, their kids, their mum, their best mate. Yeh it is also still full of wankers, but for the first time ever, ‘niceness’ is prevailing. 

We’ve all been so caught up in making money, being the biggest, the best, the most, more than the other, comparison, judgement, pressure… all of that, thinking that was what we needed in order to be happy. Well, look at everything now. We don’t need it. We just need more mindful, aware, present and in-the-moment connection with one another. 

I am 100% confident that I won’t be the only person more than happy to slow the fuck down and say yes to more social occasions once all of this is over. When presented with the choice to make more or be more present, I’ll be picking ‘be present’ every time.

Maybe this is the new Order we need? Given the purpose of Chaos, maybe this Chaotic situation is the ultimate opportunity to make the necessary changes this world needs in order to move forward towards a better, more joyful, more fulfilling, more present balance.. 

Stu