The Age of Liminality
Dear reader,
I hope you’re feeling uncomfortable.
Like you’re stuck between your memories and your aspirations—not in a mindful present but rather in an uncertain reality. Let the fear of being quarantined sink in. Embrace the anxiousness of not knowing how long it will last.
What you’re experiencing is called liminality, the sensation of going through a threshold (literally). It’s a psychological purgatory of sorts, where our minds float between chaos and calm. It might sound like a bad drug trip, but this moment is, in fact, a platform of infinite possibilities.
Very few times in the history of humankind have we been in a similar situation. Wars, social debacles, natural disasters, and yes, pandemics too; over millennia, these crucial milestones have defined our social dynamics, technological development, and artistic expressions. These hiatus have literally shaped our species's narrative. They were all junctions that resulted in liminality.
Like a Go or Chess master, this is the occasion to take a look at the board and contemplate all the possible outcomes of your future actions. Some of you might still have jobs that will keep you busy; others will have created flexible routines devised towards writing your first script or novel; a few more will catch-up with long-lost acquaintances, or finally clean the garage/fix the garden. Take some time to contemplate where you are, and where you want to journey next.
We’re being given time and space to create a new normal, both on a systematic level (which allows us to rethink the global economy and the regnant power structures) and a personal one (where we finally take a break from our brain-numbing schedules). What seems like a curse might result in a blessing, a much needed break to ponder about what really holds value (time and freedom vs work and money, for example) and a reminder of our place in this world (as part of nature, not above it).
Let’s not blame the virus for this sudden halt; we’re fully responsible for this pandemic. What brought us to this point was a wild capitalist and consumerist approach to our ego’s wellbeing. For decades, we’ve demanded the market to produce more for less, without any apparent consequences.
Unless we begin to prioritize the planet over people, and people over profit, what’s coming next will be much worse. Nature is letting us know the way we’re living isn’t sustainable, that we need to go back to our origins and find a way of regenerating what we’ve taken from it. The virus carries an underlying message: in an eco-catastrophe, no life is left unaffected.
Dealing with the fact that we’re not in control suddenly makes us feel vulnerable; ultimately, we’re facing a rite of passage. Anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep coined the term liminality in 1909 to explain the rituals that led men and women through key moments of life, coming of age transitions to assume their new societal roles, not before having evolved into a new iteration of self.
Currently, we’re neither here nor there. Pay attention to what the scientists say, but don’t worry too much about the zeitgeist. You’re currently on stage two of the process (the in-between that follows initial separation from the status quo that used to make up ‘normal’ life).
What’s left is the re-assimilation period, a future where you’ll emerge from mental, spiritual, and physical hibernation, hopefully as an upgraded version. It’s up to you how much you’ll reinvent your persona, how aware you’ll become about your impact on the environment, and the way you’ll decide to live thereon.
Be kind during this process. Allow yourself to morph. Hopefully, you’ll choose to act with integrity and determination, aiming to minimize the negative impact on your natural and personal surroundings, realizing the interconnectedness between each of your decisions and their ripple effect on people you’ll never meet, and places you’ll never visit.
This lockdown will last for a bit and re-coding your essence takes a while—don’t panic, but don’t get too comfortable either.
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Author’s note: we’d like to express our gratitude and respect towards all the people working hard to tackle this global pandemic.
From front-line doctors and nurses to the delivery persons, the politicians, scientists, and everyone in between, thank you.
DWE is committed to raising consciousness worldwide and preventing a situation like this from ever happening again.
By Santiago Rodriguez Tarditi
