Shocking Events in the Boggy Marsh of Fear

Shocking Events in the Boggy Marsh of Fear

Shocking things can happen in that Boggy Marsh, where the toxic soup of fear and anger and judgment swirl. It feeds mistrust, suspicion, and paranoia like mother’s milk to any who find themselves stuck there. The morass gives rise to mob mentality, turning friends and neighbors against each other. Rumors run rampant, spreading and growing in whispers and in shouts. There are those who are driven to make decisions and take actions rooted in fear and anger and madness, rather than in reason. Those actions spark more rumors, more fear, more anger, an urge for righteous retaliation. And the cycle spins on and on as the muck grows deeper and more noxious by the day.

And above it all, a wind blows, sometimes softly, sometimes with gale force. It is the wind of change. It is a challenge, but it is also an invitation. Will we stay stuck in this bog and let that wind knock us over, or will we rise above our fear and anger and learn to not only ride the wind, but steer it?

In the story of Fallen, The Adventures of a Deep Water Leaf, our protagonist Alora, with the help and direction of her friend Blaze, chooses the latter. Together, they learn to harness the wind, to leave the Boggy Marsh of Fear, and to chart a course of freedom, discovery, and, ultimately, homecoming. But that is in the fantasy world of Lake Sojourn.

Meanwhile, something shocking has happened right here in our world. The winds of change are roaring. Many of us are being battered by it. Many of us are locked in that cycle of fear, anger, rumors, and mistrust. Can we rise above it? Can we harness the wind? Can we steer this inevitable change in a direction of our choosing? Each of us must make that choice for ourselves.

Perhaps these Deep Ponderings will help:

  1. What was/is your first response to this event? Blame and finger-pointing? A desire for revenge and retaliation? Smug self-righteousness? Suspicion and doubt? Fear? Anger?
  2. Any of those responses would be quite natural given the swamp we’re all stuck in. But is it possible to step back from the drama? Might there be another way to respond? Are you willing to choose a different kind of response?
  3. It is human nature to be curious and to want to know the who/what/when/where/why of things. Are you willing to wait for these answers to emerge from reliable sources or will you allow yourself to fall prey to rumors and conspiracy theories?
  4. If you could let this shocking event change the course of things, what better future can you imagine evolving? What choice(s) can you make today to contribute to that better future?

~~~

I write this post the day after the assassination attempt on former President Trump. While I have been outspoken about the man and his policies, I am thankful that he survived and heartbroken for the families of those who were killed or injured. Violence like this is never the answer. I fervently hope that, collectively, we can rise up out of our Boggy Marsh of Fear and work together to steer the winds of change in a direction that will bring more freedom, equality and justice to us all.

~~~

When I wrote Fallen, The Adventures of a Deep Water Leaf, I wasn’t writing about politics. Or even thinking about politics. But lately the story has been popping back into my brain and feeling very relevant to the political landscape we find ourselves in today. And not in a partisan way, but in a human experience way. I keep being prodded to write my thoughts down – and to share them. This is the third in a series of blogs I’m writing in response to that prodding. Here are links to the earlier posts:

  1. https://claireperkins.com/stuck-in-the-muck-of-political-fear/
  2. https://claireperkins.com/helping-others-as-a-way-out-of-political-fear/

Want to know more about Alora’s journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment? Order your copy of Fallen today!

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