After the illdeed in Stockholm on Friday, I woke up Saturday morning, with the strong urge to write about the Invisibilia-show on Flipping the script, while simultaneously humming to the tune of “What the world needs now, is love, sweet love“:
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.
What Flip the script talks about, is a fenomena called noncomplimentary behaviour. Complimentary behaviour is the science behind the phrase “respond in kind” and is why anger begets anger, hatred begets hatred, and violence will lead to more violence. Of course, the same is true for emotions such as love and kindness, upon showing those it’s more likely we will receive it in turn from those we shower it on.
Noncomplimentary behaviour is when we break that pattern, and conciously decides to respond in another way. If met with hostility, responding in kindness might just break the cycle of hostility, and the Invisibilia show is full of examples of this.
I say consiously, because I believe that’s what it takes for most of us. Unless we are simply so wired to always respond with kindness and love, it takes effort and, for me, a round of internal Who do I want to be in this situation? How do I want to show up in the world, right now?-Q&A, for me to avoid responding in kind.
And when I am successful, it often diffuses the situation. It’s like the situation is a balloon, slowly emptying of air, shape-shifting and morphing into something else, completely.
This, I believe, is what we need more of in the world. Right now.
For more people to resist responding in kind, and more actively try to show up in the world in a manner that is in harmony with my values and believes as to what a citizen of Earth should be like, in order to be of assistance to all of existance, animate and inaminate alike.
What the world needs now is love, and with an intentional decision on your part (and mine!) we can flip the script, together. Let’s fall together, rather than apart, to paraphrase Rebecca Solnit, because that’s how we flip the script which seemingly is taking us into a tomorrow more closely resembling a horror movie, than a love song. Let’s choose the love song and see where it takes us?!
In 2015 I ran a series on herothecoach.com with Sunday postings of podcasts to my liking. In 2017 I will be re-posting some of those blog posts, mixing them up with new podcast recommendations, such as this one.