Yesterday was so exhausting with a certain family member. Just like neros chaotic world they live in one too. And it was making me feel very anxious putting up an act that i was ok living in it.
Then i just read these two emails and i could relate so much to them >>>>>>>
1# It must have been hard to live in Nero’s Rome. Not just because he was capricious and tyrannical, but because he was the living embodiment of chaos and nonsense.
One day, he’s banishing a poet for being too talented. On another, he’s trying to murder his mother. Here he is rigging the Olympics so he could be recognized as a winner. Here he is in a public ceremony marrying his boyfriend, who bears a striking resemblance to his dead wife. Here he is levying more and more taxes upon the provinces to fund his lavish lifestyle. Here he is ignoring his military duties leading to uprising and revolts throughout the empire. Here he is watching the city burn. Here he is screwing up another negotiation. Here he is locking the Roman elite in the theater to watch him perform on stage as an actor or singer for hours on end.
It must have been exhausting. This is what chaotic, dysfunctional leaders do—because they can’t help themselves…and also because it serves them. With their inexhaustible supply of ego and incompetence, they distract and divide their opponents. They keep everyone on their backfoot. They make it hard to tell the serious from the silly, the urgent from the unbelievable. Wasn’t this what tripped up Seneca? He was so busy trying to put out fires and prevent damage that he lost sight of the fact that he was essentially enabling the arsonist.
Today, good and decent people all over the world are reeling from the efforts of strongmen and autocrats. Everyday seems to bring more chaos and contradictory reports. Each passing hour a new outrage, each more overwhelming than the last. We must recognize that this is partly their strategy. They “flood the zone with shit” as one advisor to such a leader has put it—confusing our priorities as well as our basic perceptions.
To resist, we must first regain command of ourselves. We can’t let them provoke and distract us. We can’t let them make us despair either. We must remain sober. We must regroup. We must ignore the “shit” and come together to defeat the flood. If not, we risk being wiped out and washed away by its chaos and tyranny
2# Happy Monday Ann
Here’s a little nugget of wisdom to kick off your week:
- "Sometimes it’s the people closest to you that need to be loved from a distance." – Tony Gaskins
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Distance?
Can we make that distance several time zones?”
Tony’s quote is a reminder that not all relationships are sunshine and rainbows...
Even family, those people who somehow manage to simultaneously love you and make you consider taking up meditation in a dark room can sometimes be better appreciated from afar.
Loving someone from a distance doesn’t mean you’ve given up on them or turned into a heartless gremlin.
It just means you’ve decided your sanity is worth more than getting dragged into their whirlwind of drama, shite advice, or endless “Have you thought about…” conversations.
In fact, stepping back can be the ultimate act of self-care.
You’re not saying, “I don’t love you.” You’re saying, “I love me enough to set boundaries, and you enough to let you figure things out on your own.”
So, here’s your homework for the week: Think about where you’re investing your energy.
If a particular relationship feels like dragging a bag of cement uphill in the rain, it might be time to let go of the rope.
You can still cheer them on, from a safe, non-toxic distance.
We’re going to dig deeper into this in Friday’s newsletter, so stay tuned.
Have a tremendous week!
Stuart
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