Anywhere But Here II By Phannie Krentzman
We are living in a strange period of time. The other day I was out at a local pizza shop with my husband and two year old daughter. My husband and I have been very intentional about not being on our phones or doing any screens with her young, malleable, brain. Being a developmental movement and consciousness expert I know just how impactful and important the early years of development are for creating the foundation we live in for the rest of our lives. Holding that intention it becomes very apparent in our culture how much our phones have become an extra appendage. It seems that everywhere I look someone is holding or looking into the dopamine producing smart device.
I think that there is a direct correlation between our systematic abandoning of our bodies and our increasing reliance on technology. As I walked through the pizza shop to make my way to the restroom I noticed these two young women, probably in their early 20s, sitting across from each other, seemingly in different worlds. They both sat there, immersed in their screens, seemingly unaware of each other’s presence. To my surprise and deep concern, when I ventured back through the pizza shop after using the restroom, they were still in the same position. As I took this disturbing image into my awareness it occurred to me how dire our existence has become. Their absorption into their virtual reality left me with the distinct impression that they were screaming “please, let me be anywhere but here.”
It’s easy to understand why we would want to be anywhere but here. Everywhere you look we seem to be powerless in the face of something much greater than ourselves. The highly dysfunctional and destructive government. Mother nature herself. War, you name it, there’s a lot seemingly wrong in the world right now. And that desire to escape is natural… but never in our history have we all had something, literally in the palm of our hands to achieve it so easily.
That discomfort we feel in the face of our reality is eradicated in seconds and soon as we grab our phones and watch kittens do something cute, or whatever your version of that is. That discomfort is communication. Our bodies are designed, quite brilliantly, to elicit change with communication of pain. Pain tells us something is wrong and asks us to behave differently to change it. Emotional pain is the same. But we’ve become numb to our innate wisdom, medicating it away, or escaping into a reality where we don’t have to acknowledge what is really going on. But I have some good (and a little bad) news. There’s nowhere else to live…your body is your home and it requires this earth that we inhabit. No amount of scrolling or consuming of technology will change the fact that our lives are inextricably intertwined with the nature we reside within. Our bodies are reflecting the sickness of the planet. We are poisoning ourselves in our pursuit to placate the suffering we see around us.
It’s time to reclaim our power, and let’s start by sitting with and acknowledging our pain. What is happening right now in history should hurt, and that pain should inspire action from you. Each one of us has the power to change the world. We don’t have to solve all of the big problems but we can start with ourselves. Treat your body like the result of billions of years of evolution. Feed it what it requires to thrive. Steward the land you’re on. Create habitat for more life to thrive. Be the sanctuary where bees and butterflies and birds can eat and drink without the poison of perfection we spout. Know that you have a say in what you create and begin acting like it. Right now, or the next time you feel overwhelmed by your life or the world, stand up. Bounce your body, stomp your feet. Make some noise with your voice and notice how you’ve shifted your own energy and focus to this moment. Here, this present moment is the only one we get to make a difference in, so I invite us all to start living in it now, before it is too late.
About the Author: Phannie has a long career of being a movement artist, movement and embodiment educator and creator. During her career as a professional dancer, studio owner, and company founder, she spent her time uncovering what is true and real in this world. Originally used as tools to create content for performances with strong messaging about the human experience, she created the embodiment teachings and methodology of the Radical Love Movement.
Phannie has dedicated her life to authentic expression and understanding how consciousness works. She now has alchemical structure to support others in discovery and application of their authentic selves expressed through the body.
