Anyone else entirely overwhelmed by the state of the planet?

My suggestion:

Do not despair.

Stay away from media for a while.

Remember, media's job isn't to inform you, it's to make money. They will do that any way they can. Keeping people scared is a good way to do that.

Instead, look for light amidst the darkness. There is still love, and beauty, and goodness, and hope. Lots of it.

And if you don't find enough of those things, create some.

But before you can climb, you have to stop falling. Get away. Clear your mind. Clear your heart. See the world in a fresh way.

After I had a stroke that left me permanently disabled, life looked pretty grim. But I took stock of my life and my resources, and decided that I was not going to give in to the bad.

My means of "lighting a single candle" was to create a YouTube channel for my experiences recovering and discovering. I haven't made a big splash with it, but people tell me it's helping them.

Maybe the world is going to hell. If so, I guess I can't stop it. But I won't give in without a fight.

See if this helps you:
https://www.youtube.com/@srlucado/videos

Hi, I’m here miles away but right now we’re together connecting spiritually, two souls in this vast world having a nice chat with each other. I feel your fears and would like to help you to be more comfortable, you’re not alone, it’s night time here and I was just playing with my cat who’s kind of fat, I bought her a toy bird on a string and I’m trying to make her chase it so she gets some exercise, unfortunately she just lays on top of it so I can’t move it. I read that you live in Denmark, I was born in Amsterdam but I grew up in Canada and still live here, I would love to travel but I’m afraid of flying so I miss out on enjoying and exploring our world, thankfully there’s lots of movies and books to watch and read. I’m curious, do you enjoy travelling to different places, Canada is a very big country with lots of lakes and mountains, people who come here from Europe always say how spacious it is here, of course we have big cities too. What do you like to do, have you been to other places away from home? I know that our world is changing a lot and it’s sometimes hard to keep up, I also know it’s scary at times and I worry about everything but I try to have faith in life, love and God, believe me when I say that you’re not alone,it’s dark right now but tomorrow is a new day and the sun will come up again and life will go on bringing you new things to do for you and those around you and make new friends to share your life with, be happy, stay positive and try to laugh more because it’s so good for your heart and soul, I hope that we will share again soon, your friend Frouke.

Hello @frouke ! Thank you so much , for your long reply and just kind words. You were born in Amsterdam ?! We- my husband and son- LOVE Amsterdam an the Netherlands !!! We have visited a few times and just love the history, museums, architecture and going everywhere on bikes.our son even studied in Amsterdam... so why- if its ok to ask- did you leave for Canada ? Do you return often to Amsterdam ? Do you miss your homeland? We moved 6 years ago from the UK here to Denmark and I still struggle with being here... it was for many reasons the right decision but we still pay the price for it on a daily base... even if the UK is not my birth land, it has and still is my home and I miss it incredible and deeply. Since then so much has gone wrong and it seems to all come crashing down now... privately and the insane world we are living in . I fight all this so damn long... im so very tired and I think getting older now im loosing this battle more and more...
We have a cat too... is a long story... in the UK we had a cat- Kasabian- which we had from kitten onwards. She had a very bad accident and nearly lost her back leg. It was safed- just- but it was entirely stiff... she came with us here to DK and nearly lived up to 18 years... I was with her here at home, when we had to put her to sleep- it was horrific. Ayear later , out of the blue a cat was sitting on our doorstep...after a long search we found out, that he belongs to a local farmer ...farm cats are not very loved or cared for here...out of all the farm cats here, the only one with a fractured, stiff front leg did find us...and we like to think , that Kasabian did send him- we called him Kasper- to us...knowing we were lost without her and he was lost too... no need to say, that he never would, nor could replace Kasabian but we love him dearly in his own right... if you are ok with it, then please tell me about your cat 🙂
I miss the sea...the English countryside, the English language, churches, cathedrals, architecture, litte villages...the scent of the sea the woods and fields...and the rich history...my husband and I often cry ... can I ask why you are here on this side ?
T

@frouke
... I just did find your little profile...so I know a little more about you now...
I'm sorry, that you too- as so so many people- have to fight this damn beast cancer... our daughter had breastcancer and we both have the BRCA1 gene. I just had 2 OPs to reduce the risk of developing the most common types for BRCA1

Hello @scottrl . Thank you , for your lovely note and for reaching out earlier. Thank you also, for sharing some personal things. I just had a rather long reply for you , nearly ready to send over to you and then my battery packed up, so im sitting now in my front room, plugged in charging. I really would like to re write what I just wrote to you but im really tired...overtired as I hardly get sleep... I hope its ok, if i come back k to you later and reply once more...but i least wanted to say Thank you and let you know, that I do acknowledge that you wrote to me 🙂
T

For what it's worth, I'm a senior now, and I really do not remember a time when the world was NOT screwed up. I think we'll make it through this current state of screwiness!

For what it’s worth, having survived cancer so far, I realized that no matter what I was going through, or the crazy state of our nation/the world…. love from family and friends remains(even grew), there are many kind people, trees are still standing strong, flowers continue to bloom, my beloved music is still there….inner peace can be found when we truly seek it—the seeking itself is healing. This does not mean we don’t recognize the hardships of ourselves and many in the world, but does help to reduce the negative burden, so we can live better…..so we can truly live until we actually pass on….sending healing wishes to all here.

@templar13, I’m so happy to hear back from you, I read your message and I understand why you’re feeling so unhappy with your world, it’s sad to have to live somewhere that doesn’t feel like home, you can’t set roots and so there’s always an unsettled feeling. Having the people you love around you is a great blessing, it compensates for the things you’re missing. I came to Canada with my parents when I was a child, my only time back in Amsterdam was as a teenager and I still had family there but they are all gone now. I still feel my birthplace in my heart, I love being near water and enjoy the sound of seagulls because their sounds speak to me, I think you know what I mean. I was married to the love of my life and he came from the UK, we had always planned to go there but it wasn’t meant to be, I lost him much too soon. It’s a mystery to me but I also feel a connection to the UK, it’s almost as though I have been there perhaps another life.

@templar13, I have always adored cats, in Amsterdam I played with them in the market place where store owners had many cats to keep the mice away. I too have lost cats I loved, my closest was Zoey who lived for 18 years, I now have Sofi who is 5 years old, she is very big and beautiful but lazy and her passion is food, as I mentioned earlier, I’m always buying toys for her but she just looks bored after a few minutes. I don’t think that they ever leave us, I still feel them around my home.

hello @frouke. i hope, you managed to get some sleep last night !! i did lie down eventually but couldnt sleep. so today is not a great day. through my thanatophobia i have had always extream sleep issues but the last few month have become super tough once more...
so lovely to hear back from you 🙂 and to share a bit more of you and your life. i find it wonderful estonishing, how people can just come together, as total strangers and give support, share life/ health experiances, often very intimate and privat things. i love, that this is possible- just like that and it also gives me hope in mankind ! when our daughter was diagnosed with her breast cancer i did join the wonderful breast cancer forum in the UK (our daughter still lives there) and like here, on this side, there is this strong bond and care for each other... without judgment, without fluffing things up... i love that. im fortunate, to be a very open person but not everyone is like this, and what the cancer forum like also this forum got so wonderfully right (in my opinion) is, that people , whom are maybe too shy, or simply privat have the chance, to be part of this forums by the choiche of sending a HUG or LIKE... it is just a lovely feeling, if someone shows their support. they may dont do this via mail and writing but with a simple HUG or LIKE- i hear you, i feel for you, i hope you are ok aso... what an incredible way of coming together ! when im not in a bad place right now, i read a lot of notes of here( carefully picking the ones i feel i can cope with) and i have "met" so many wonderful and incredible people- which with a few i still hold contact...
these forums are such important sides for so many people they are a true lifeline...

it is actually only my husband (of nearly 30 yrs this dec.) here in denmark. as meantioned above, our daughter has her own life in the uk and our son is studying now in stockholm... so we are all peppered around... but yes. i feel incredible fortunate and humbled to have a very special man on my side, who only knows me like i am now... and never ever did stop to love, protect and suport me... so, i hear you entirely, when you did say, that your husband was the love of your live !! i absolutely can rely to that and i believe, that allthose people who are fortunate enough, to come across that very special person in their life, are very fortunate indeed- i certainly feel that still as powerful, as 31 years ago, when i met my husband...
i was hoping, that you may had relatives, or friends over in the netherlands, it must have been tough, to loose that connection and the trauma what comes when people leaving us, when they do pass... i love, that you are still so finely tuned to your birthplace and once more i can totally rely to this so very strongly... i can hear the sound of the leaves in the trees in those places dear to us, feel the soft, or rough touch of the wind in the open countryside, or by the sea... certain sounds... often when i use to do meditation , i simply broke down because i can feel these things- home so deeply, so strongly... the pain to be so far away... the endless longing ... so yes, i love the way you express your strong bond to your home... that seagulls speak to you and transform you back... how powerful ! it made me smile, when i did read, that your husband also was from the UK. and may it makes you smile, when i tell you, that my husband (many years before our paths did cross) did live for 6month in Canada, he went over there with his youngest brother and i heard many stories from his time over there... there are some beautiful photos of my husband with the canadian flag behind him, which i always loved, they hang in our music room... i love looking at them... they hold so much emotions and love for him. i love that feeling...
like you we all do love the sea and our kids were lucky to grew up by the sea... how many endless walks- in all kind of weather- have we walked along this incredible powerful form of nature... how freeing... how soothing the sea is... i hope, that water is still near enough you, so that it still can be part of your life !!! nature can give so so much. a gentle/powerful, wonderful healer...
your last sentence really took me aback... in a surprised way and once more, i entirely do understand what you mean... before i ever went to england- even as a child- i had this strong pull to the UK. i never understood why... a longing... a certainty that i would return (which didnt made any sense, as i never ever had been there) there always has been a inner picture in my mind... of this woman on top of a cliff top... in the storm... looking out over the sea... waiting... i could draw this setting, it is so very clear... i like to think, that you do understand... when many years later, we visited tintagel and i stood up on the cliff top... looking out to the vast open atlantic ocean, i was so emotional, it took my breath away ... the beauty, power and history just hit me... it entire overwhelmed me and i felt this incredible, deep love and connection to this island- my home...