Trauma is so widespread and deeply etched that we are persuaded to see it as normal.
Reported ‘news’ ignores almost every act of compassion and community building while relentlessly reporting on destruction and division. Our long human history of war, upheaval and domination has created colonies of discontent and islands of privilege. Trauma is systemic and all-pervasive.
Emotional distance, domination and greed easily arise in a traumatised and fragmented society. They stem from insecurity and breed more of the same. People learn to grab, to hoard, to harden their hearts. How do we reverse a viscous circle of mistrust and blame?
We hold fear-driven behaviours in compassionate awareness. To complement the excellent work being done by trauma therapists, we are envisaging community-wide initiatives. In consultation with local groups and individuals these meeting grounds will start to reweave the broken trust and lost connection among peoples.
Dance, music and everything that soothes feelings and connects humans heart to heart, pulse to pulse, have a powerful role to play in this endeavour.
- Stefan Freedman. Jan 202