Do you see the mountain lion?

Look closely!  Still don’t see it?  Let me bring in an expert or two to explain how the shadows in the upper right are concealing the stealthy feline.  Next, you’ll hear from an eyewitness and let them tell you how their spidey senses got all tingly.  (Not unlike the time I got spooked hiking and ran up a hill with record speed.)

Take another look.  Still don’t see it?

Well, it’s because there is no mountain lion.  The trail I frequent has a lot of human activity so if I spot a big cat on it, it would be quite the event.  And I sure as hell wouldn’t be standing around fumbling with my phone to get a picture. 

We humans often see predators where there are none.  We see enemies instead of fellow humans who are scared and nurse suspicions based on whispers from afar (that strangely sound a LOT like our own fears).

And because we have learned the saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” we are pissed because we HAVE been fooled.  And oh ma freakin’ gawd.  We are awash in shame.  So up go the barriers of disbelief and we become more jaded and more suspicious than ever.

We believe things that AREN’T there and are blind to the truth even when it’s touching noses with us.

How do we discern what’s real and what isn’t?  Whom do we believe?  How do we trust after 2020 has us all hanging by the final thread?    

First, don’t believe everything you feel.  Second, be honest with yourself about your fears.  Recognize that the fear is real – but also that there is, more often than not, no mountain lion.  Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to others because they are scared too. 

Last, lay down your suspicions.  Use wisdom instead.  Wisdom is a much better guide in keeping you out of harm’s way.  Hang out with wise people – not people who are merely an echo chamber of your own biases and blind spots.  And for the love of all things holy, recognize that the powers that be are the ones sowing the discord because it is in their best interests to keep us scared, pissed off, consuming, and addicted to stress.

I realize this last piece require a big ole serving of vulnerability. Suspicion really thinks it is providing us with an important service – keeping us safe. But it becomes a taskmaster by having us jump every time a puff of air stirs a leaf.

We must admit that we don’t always see things accurately.  It means admitting that we are scared.  It means we must begin to trust ourselves and ultimately, trust one another. 

2020 has been a horrible shitshow on countless levels.  But the biggest tragedy is that it has pitted us all one against the other.  And only love can heal this breach.

My friends, there is no mountain lion.