Is it just me, or is the world actually burning?
We are living in a time like no other. We’ve survived a global pandemic, during which the world shut itself down and we complied with what felt like house arrest for roughly two years. We left the largest and safest political structure in the world, and we’re struggling to feed our kids and pay the bills.
On January 31st 2020, the UK left the EU, based on lies, false campaigning, and a mere 51% majority – not at all convincing, in my opinion, especially when you consider the bullsh!t that formulated the ‘leave’ campaign.
We’d be better off they said – we’re not. We’d have more control over our laws and courts – yet now, our human rights and more are at risk.
Brexit was not a good thing, and it continues to create issues for us in the UK. We cannot live and work as we used to, for example, and we’ve gone from ‘unity in diversity’ to rolling back racism by about fifty years. Brexit has sent people ‘home’ after living and working in the UK for many years and the power of our passport is arguably weakened.
A couple of months after Brexit, the entire world then goes into lockdown due to an unknown “deadly” virus circulating the globe. We’re fed information, dis-information, unverified stats, and a death toll that appears to have been dreamed up by labelling everything as Covid-19.
As if by magick, a vaccine is developed and millions around the world line up in an orderly fashion to receive theirs – like good little citizens all doing as they’re told.
I, however, have never received a jab, and I don’t plan on that changing. I have contracted C-19 twice (according to those unreliable home testing kits), and I’ve recovered with no ill-effects.
A Russian mad-man then decides to invade a country that used to belong to his empire and all of a sudden, we’re all at risk from nuclear attack. How much more posturing do we need to endure exactly? Things are kicking off all around the world, including in Gaza, and schoolyard antics occur between North and South Korea. Plus, the US can’t seem to make its mind up about who’s side its on.
Fourteen years of Conservative rule has driven the UK into the worst economic situation we’ve perhaps ever faced… not least of all due in part to the Tories wasting billions of pounds on private C-19 contracts handed to their mates for financial gain. Public money went down the toilet and finally, after a General Election, the Labour Government are attempting to fix the black hole created.
We have 4.3 million children in the UK alone, living in relative poverty after housing costs (Save The Children, 2024) – that’s 30% of all children here. We are a rich, first-world country, and yet our kids are going to school hungry and many do not have their own bed to sleep in, or a home to call their own. “Absolute poverty has also risen. There are now 3.6 million children in absolute poverty compared to 3.3 last year” (ibid).
The situation is shocking, disgusting, and absolutely unacceptable.
What can we do?
Pray for peace. Practice Magick. Take care of ourselves and those close to us. Help others where we can. Donate/ volunteer where possible. Educate others. Live more sustainably (including growing our own food, and reducing packaged and processed foods). Plant wild flowers, Feed the birds during winter. Love our environments and find joy in the simple things.
Stay present and connected with those you care about because after all is said and done, it’s people who matter – those whom we love and care about. Find free and cheap things to do as a family. Make memories. Collect photographs. Be creative by discovering how to entertain yourself without spending any money. Cook and bake at home.
Make time for relaxation. Switch off the news and put your phone down! Read. Watch a movie. Take a bath. Make love. Go for a walk around a local park, in woodlands or along the beach. Take a train or bus ride if you typically drive. Pick up a new or old hobby. Use a non-dating app to find people and events that interest you.
I could go on… but there are heaps of things you can do to find joy in the every day.
We have to focus on the here and now in order to find joy. Let go of external expectations and the stress of global issues. Create your own safety bubble and plan in the things that are only going to benefit or serve you, and ditch the rest!
Work if you have to. Relax as much as you can. And perhaps… pick up some witchcraft… it could just change the world!