On liminal time

Just the other day Ces sent us this wonderfully reflective piece. A personification of our times, in which not a lot makes sense. But those bits that do make sense are paradoxically absurd. We’re all living the Camus existentialism. But if you’re a member of the Federal Government who’ve knocked off environmental studies across the Unis’, It’s just business as usual. 

Cecil wrote; 

The Casino Enquiry, Not a lot of ‘Ground-Truthing’, but Andy demonstrated great ground-directed note reading skills.

In the dark hours of the morning I was reading Paul Carter’s “Ground Truthing”, an extraordinarily provocative and complex book on Mallee.  I battle to comprehend his arguments, such that three or four pages at a time are all I can do.  Last nights pearl came with a picture of discarded fencing wire “these abandoned wire offcuts scattered throughout the Mallee are like scraps of conversation, undecidable moments where reason no longer connects, thoughts coil up and are left unsaid” (my emphasis).  So I toss and turn contemplating those unsaid tangled thoughts and wonder if they are better unsaid anyway, and would those thoughts lose value, lose meaning if they were uncoiled?

Which got us onto this snippet from the Evangelical Times. “The evangelical…. what the’ .. you may ask? Yes indeed a God-bothering paper, that talks about decency, humanity and the destablising effect on life the universe and everything about gross inequality. It’s three pointer, (heavily edited in this transcript).

Franciscan priest Richard Rohr describes this as a “liminal time” — a threshold moment bridging “before” and “not yet.” Our solid ground of five months ago is gone; we’ve lifted a foot toward … no one knows what.

Not much ‘Ground Truthing’ here either.

Liminal time is unsettling and worrisome. We’re adrift and vulnerable. Frantic voices scream “Free the economy!” “Open the restaurants!” and “Get back to normal!”

But liminal time has its own voice: calmer and quieter. Invitational rather than demanding. It redefines these moments as a pause between worn territory and fresh new ground. It’s a reset for a better future.

The spiritual call of this pandemic is not a reflexive return to accustomed life. Nor is it a safe (if agonizing) wait before easing slowly back to familiarity. “Returning to normal” squanders an opportunity.  Liminal time is not a den of hibernation: an onerous grizzly bear in autumn emerges as the same onerous bear in springtime.  Rather, liminal time is a chrysalis: enter as a crawling caterpillar and emerge as a soaring butterfly!

Where “Ground-Truthing” is just another word for nothing left to lose.

First, a broken community. The obvious irony of the COVID-19 Era is that we are “all in this together,” yet more universally isolated than at any time in anyone’s memory.

But let’s be honest: the human community was already fractured. “Social distancing” was a distressing pre-COVID 19 reality in the forms of xenophobia, political tribalism, institutional racism, sexism and a host of other divisive, violent and cruel “-isms.”

Second, a broken planet. Consider this chilling reality: COVID-19’s physical suffering and socio/economic disruption is a trifling foretaste of the massive consequences of climate change to come.

Poor Glady’s, no wonder people in her circle get pixelated! Too much ‘Ground-Truthing’!

Third, a broken economy. The global economy favors the wealthy, privileged, powerful and overwhelmingly male, white and well-connected few over the impoverished, disadvantaged, powerless and ignored many. Runaway climate change is a direct result of an economy that demands expansive consumption and rampant environmental degradation. It’s time to toss the idol of “the economy” from the altar.

Ground-Truth ZERO! BLOKES YOU CAN TRUST

Well we at Pcbycp aint all that religious, we’re a pantheon short of the monotheist. But it aint all bad. The casinos enquiry indicated that all the Directors were bent and just were happy to take the money and run. And poor Glady’s has been dudded by a dick boyfriend, who seems to be the perfect Arthur Daley. 

So in a way, it’s good to know that nothing’s changed and all is right with the world. 

Apocolypse now? Or perhaps, tomorrow? There’s comfort in that, (Testicles Ch4. v3)

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But with the high rollers at the Casino and money laundering on hold, we cant wait for things to go back to normal. And pretend that all this stuff about Armageddon was only dream.