#MakeTheCircleBigger - the unepisode episode

They say Nero fiddled while Rome burned. I think it's because he had become so complacent he couldn't react, but also that he had narrowed his ability to "see to care".  

These past few weeks have been fraught with heightened emotion, disbelief, empathy, sadness and outrage for me. I have no reaction left in me right now. And it's a conscious choice.  

I believe reaction is good as an initial Kickstarter, because it focuses attention and gets things started. But ultimately, it's unhelpful because it has the potential to separate me from my best thinking and true self. 

I remain convicted that all lives matter. And it's true that depending on where you are physically located in the world, some lives are more immediately at threat, and this must be highlighted. Even so all lives matter. The fundamental cry is for the intrinsic value in every life and in each life to be seen.  

Against the backdrop of all of this, it didn't make sense to bring out a podcast episode last week. It seemed a little trite in the face of all that going on. When I came across this social media movement hashtag The show must be paused on Tuesday it resonated. 
We need to stop and we need to think and we need to process. 

And yet... because words are how I show care, and it still doesn't quite feel it should be business as usual. I face a conundrum.  This post is an attempt to respond to that conundrum. 

This is an "UNEPISODE Episode". 

I have just one train of thought to share. No guests. Just me, sharing this singular idea with you.  Here it goes. 

If it is true, that our seeing directs our doing, I believe we all seriously need to question through what lenses we see the world right now.  May I invite you today to consider just one of these lenses?  Your "universe of obligation".  

My invitation to you today is to consider when and how you drew the lines of your own universe of obligation.  

And then the question is always of course. "So what are you going to do about it?"