老師Kathy MacFarlane告訴我們如何面對逆境

Dear Parents and Colleagues from our Waldorf Community,

I would like to send you my warmest wishes at this difficult time.

For the last 10 years I have been visiting China at least 3 times a year and it has been a very stimulating and rewarding part of my life. I find it very hard to believe that I would not be there this spring. And if I find this difficult, it gives me a very small picture of how hard it must be to have your lives disrupted, stopped and changed.

On top of this you have a very natural anxiety for the future and for the health of your families. However, as with most challenges there is always opportunity.

When we are busy and live strongly in the outer world it is easy to forget our inner life. There is always somewhere we need to be and something that needs to be done. Suddenly you have the gift of time and as the outer world takes a back step it is an opportunity to strengthen your inner world.

There are two ancient and very interesting words I have recently come across. They are Ars Vivendi and Ars Moriendi which are to do with living well and dying well.

Today death is seen as a tragedy or a failure in medicine. We have an enormous fear of death and consequently a fear of life. We can hardly experience life anymore because we have this fear of dying. However, life and death are as connected as waking and sleeping. And death is the one certainty in life for every human being but we have forgotten how to understand these, so we are fearful.

If we can try to cultivate in our daily life the ability to meet each day with equanimity and without fear, we are able to strengthen our inner life. This is the challenge in the face of what we live with today.

My suggestion is to develop as strong a rhythm as you can with you and your families. Work with whatever artistic activity you are drawn to whether is is drawing, writing, painting, music or story telling. Limit your time on the internet, although this is a vital way of keeping contact with the outer world it should not be your only activity. Reading is a forgotten art and can be a wonderful source of inspiration. Find something to laugh about every day, this is wonderfully healing!

This time will pass and life will move on and it would be wonderful if you are able to make this a positive experience rather then an enforced seclusion to be endured.

I would like to share a verse of Rudolf Steiner’s with you for times of great need and a story for your children and I look forward to seeing you all again in the summer.

All my love and best wishes

Kathy

2020 February

---

We must eradicate from our soul

All fear and terror that comes to meet you

We must look forward with absolute equanimity.

To whatever comes

and we must think only that whatever comes is given us by a world direction full of Wisdom.

It is part of what we must learn in this age,

namely to act out of pure trust in the ever present help of the spiritual worlds.

Truly nothing else will do if our courage is not to fail us.

Let us discipline our will and let us seek the awakening from within ourselves

Every morning and every evening

~ Rudolf Steiner