5 Intersecting Crises...and why we're feeling this way
A couple weeks ago, I wrote that we are collectively living in the midst of a disillusioning moment.
I defined this experience as:
A moment when the illusion of “how the world works” begins to break down for a large number of people, all at once. When the veil is pulled back and we realize, both at the personal and collective levels, that the stories we’ve been telling don’t quite match the realities we’ve been weaving. When we have to continue the mundane, everyday tasks of our lives while carrying the immense and existential heaviness of a world quaking beneath our feet.
It’s deeply uncomfortable – and yes, exhausting, overwhelming, and not untouched by despair and grief.
And as part of this disillusioning moment, I named that we're not just in the middle of one crisis. Many of us are instead feeling the weight of living at the convergence point of several intersecting crises.
In particular:
Individual: internal questions of purpose, meaning, identity, and who we are.
Interpersonal: relational challenges stemming from loneliness and breakdowns in connection.
Institutional: loss of trust in institutions our society has become dependent upon: education, banking, lawmakers, law-enforcers, media, and so on.
Intergenerational: harmful systems, norms, and challenges that have been allowed to remain powerful, passively or actively, across generations (white supremacy, misogyny, heteronormativity, climate change, ableism, etc.)
Existential: questioning the purpose and meaning of life and how the Universe works: “Why is it like this?” and “What’s the point?”
(I really want to call that last one the “intergalactic” just to keep the alliteration going.)
This is why the heaviness we might be feeling – the anxiety, the fear, the unease – this is why it just keeps staying.
We might find resolution for an interpersonal crisis with a friend, but still feel the weight of the institutional, intergenerational, and existential crises weaving together. Or we might have a big ah-ha moment related to our identity...but still feel a bit unmoored and lost in the sauce.
So what do we do with this, in a practical sense?
Here are three small-ish steps that can help build capacity for holding the charge of this experience:
Story: For each of these intersecting crises, check in with yourself. What are the particularities of the crises you’re feeling? (This doesn’t necessarily mean the crises you’re aware of; focus on the ones you’re feeling.) Perhaps write them on a piece of paper and just give yourself space to name them. You can use the questions below for this.
Practice: Move your body in a way that releases pressure or tension in your muscles. Some things you might try: soothing self-touch, stretching, humming, hiking, tapping or drumming, intentional yawning, basketball. (Seriously, if you’re feeling the heaviness of this moment, begin with moving your body – don’t just try to think it away!)
Solidarity: Reach out to a friend and invite them for coffee or a walk. Share how you’re feeling in the midst of this. Ask how they’re experiencing this moment. Create space for storytelling, community, and inviting each other into shared action.
There is no quick and easy way out of this disillusioning moment.
But we have tools and practices that can help us stay present to each other, engaged in the repair work that needs to be done, and connected – no matter how tenuously – to our inherent dignity.
🧰 Resources
How to Hold the Charge of This Moment (mini-workshop)
We Should Get Together by Kat Vellos (book)
