as a symptom of a secret conspiracy propagated by left-wing elites . But the cure of the conspiracy theory loses its potency and gradually becomes a poison that blocks the mind from thinking about the institutions of Whiteness and the historical reality of slavery and conquest that birthed the USA . People addicted to QAnon conspiracy theories are addicted to the act of consciously forgetting the pain created by white people .
We learn a lot by thinking of grief as a pharmakon , but in a different sense . For many , grief appears as only a poison , as something that prevents us from resuming the supposed normalcy of our lives . The desire to move on from grief propels the belief that consumption of one kind or another will speed the grieving process . But what if that which appears as poison becomes the cure ? What if grief , which seems to arise with the pain experienced after , say , the death of a loved one , actually expresses the abundance of love that we carry for others ?
Considering grief as a cure does not negate the pain associated with grief . The pain is real , but grief ’ s path is paved in pain and leads to a greater sense of love and acceptance . These thoughts rhyme with the wise words of Martín Prechtel , for whom praise is love in another guise : Praise is Grief ’ s voice and neither ever disappears , because they are the sound of all parts of the world and universe , each living according to its own nature , each entire in itself , each a willing participant in the great prayer of praise singing the world back to life . To negate grief is , in other words , to negate praise and life . It takes time to feel this to be true , which is why we underscore the importance of a grief practice . Cultivating a practice of grief is like becoming an apprentice to grief ’ s teachings . Over time , we learn that many of grief ’ s lessons derive from the love we feel for others , and thus to praise our loved one ’ s through grief is to acknowledge their presence in our lives even after they have departed .
The notion of a scapegoat enters here . In a twisted sense , grief appears as a scapegoat to fully living one ’ s life . You might hear , “ Oh , when will you get back to your life ?” as though grieving has somehow routed you away from your path . To the contrary , grief is the path of life . The true scapegoat is the behavior that leads us to avoid active grieving .
As such , the full picture of the pharmakon of grief comes into view . Grief appears as poison but reveals itself through practice as a cure . The time we set aside to grieve appears like a retreat from the world but reveals itself through practice as a journey that endows the world with true meaning .
Think of this as you practice your grief .
Will Daddario , Ph . D . is a performance philosopher , educator , writer , and grief worker . He facilitates grief and educational projects and classes through his business co-created with his wife Joanne Zerdy , Inviting Abundance .
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