PROBABILITY AND POSSIBILITY

In my current state of mind, well, really for most of my adult life, I considered Probability and Possibility of things great and small

I speak not of mathematical probability, but what seems probable or possible based on predictivewa factor.  Uultimately, I like to believe that the axiom "All things are possible is true! My consideration of the probable and the possible keeps me from thinking and/or acting out of fear or hope, which seems to be the mode and mood of the day and, I suppose, always has been.

Thinking and acting our of fear or hope ignores both and tends to have us believe or act of those two emotions without having given thought to what may actually be probable or possible. 

     There are always at any given time and for any given event  opposite perspectives, often without consideration of multi-layered context of anything, large or small. However, we must focus in on the subtleties, the nuances and the realities at hand, rather than the fear or hope of what is to be or not to be.
      I believe there has always been little tolerance for looking deeper, and now, even more so with our nano-second communications of news and social media (within which each extreme finds a niche.) I have been told many times, “You are deep,” which always feels more critique than compliment, to which I inwardly affirm for myself: better to be deep than shallow, remaing on the surface, where one can only imagine what lies below it all.

What often lies below in the bigger picture of things, especially politics, but also advertising, is the powers that be, seeking to direct and control the narrative in their favor to remain in power, benefit financially, remain apathetic or confused. It is easy to submit to these powers or forces--we need do nothing, especially not think! Then the world can be defined in simple, black and white terms: them and us, good and evil—a zero sum game in which if someone else benefits, we lose. It’s easy to craft that kind of thinking into sound bites where "Perceptions are real and the truth is not" (Imelda Marcos). This is the kind of thinking that engenders "tribal loyalty and translates readily into catch phrases to fire up the masses, conjure up worst case scenarios, conspiracies born of fears, reinforcing already held beliefs and opinions, which are often far from the real probabilities or possibilities, but may be self-fulling "prophesies." 
     Nevertheless, this approach speaks to an enormous number of people for whom equivocation and polarization are easier to understand than seeing the larger picture and sorting through the subtleties and nuances that a clearer picture of reality demands--critcal thinking is not a dirty word.

What am I trying to say here? I suppose it is that I am weary just now of attempting to be true to my ideal of equipoise——a balancing act to hold true to my values of freedom, harmony, equality and justice, as it seems more of a struggle to maintain patience, civility, kindness and compassion, when we often hear more about the oppostite than the desirable. Currently, the language and agresson of politicians, commentators and ideologues seem to live by, not the values I hold dear, but in an ends-justifies-the means approach. And the means are getting meaner, louder, more vulgar and unhingled. 

        Is it both probable and possible that things have changed irrevicably and will continue to do so. I think so, but I also want to believe that, while the arc of the moral universe is long and bends toward justice, it does not seem possible that it will bend quickly enough prevent further deteriortion of the common good and common sense. I try remind myself to exepect the unexpected at any moment.

     Anne Frank was able to believe in possibility, even at such a young age and in a dire situation.  She wrote in her diary:

It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise us, only to be crushed by grim reality…I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness. I hear the approaching thunder….It’s a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals; they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet, I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart….I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I'll be able to realize them.

I read Anne's diary when I was about the same age at she was when she wrote it. I was moved--then and now by her insight and wisdom. It has become a touchstone for me when I am feeling discouraged,  falling into the "not probable," instead of the "always possible." Anne  believed in the Possible—even if she herself would never realize it in her given place and time. There is a power in her words that can create the courage to light the way, to move and shape lives and the world toward the good, however slowly that arc bends.

     Yes, just now I am worn down by some details of the world picture: chaos, starvation, brutality, corruption, malice, perversion and vulgarity and war--always war. Then there is the smaller frame of my own life of a series of illnesses and family situations--with no energy to spare, and seemingly diminished inner resources to cope, so the possible does not seem probable now or at any tiime soon.
     Yet, my core belief in the possible still inevitably rises up and compels me to look even more deeply to also remember the work and efforts of individuals and groups, currenlty and throughout history that have come together—again and again—to aspire toward the moral, the good, the just and the true. 

      I also see my own life in concentric circles reaching deeper from the world to my inner world where the values I hold dear and strive toward are also all around me at every moment—in my family, my friends and my community—here and now--possible and probable.