A HARSH COLLISION WITH REALITY

I saw this phrase recently which struck me at the time and then stayed with me. That caused me to think more about it, so here a few of those thoughts:

“… a harsh collision with reality.”   I wondered how we can see things as they are without altering the perception according to ill-informed opinions or commentaries, without justifications or judgments?  We can easily experience this “harsh collision with reality” almost anywhere we look.

It is “a harsh collision with reality” to see the pain of other peoples’ lives and wonder what we can do in the face of injustice, inequity and suffering. It is a “harsh collision with reality” to see the naked, hungry and poor and wonder what we can do to help alleviate poverty and disease.  It is a “harsh collision with reality” to see the denial of basic human rights in this country and others when we live in one of the wealthiest nations on earth.

It’s “a harsh collision with reality” to see students and others being killed or wounded by out of control gun wielding people with little regard for human life. The related political divides around the issues of gun control are also a “harsh collision with reality.”

The “harsh collision with reality” of a climate crisis, the increasing damage to our natural resources, regulations designed to protect and preserve being either ignored or reversed, are facing all of us. For a current illustration, see the movie “Dark Waters” or read the book, “Exposure.”

When there are verifiable facts and hard evidence that refute someone’s story or a position based on personal preference or profit and greed, the tendency is either to deny what people do not want to accept or to label the perceived threat to their position as unreal or fake.  That is their response to “a harsh collision with reality.”    What is yours?