I am beyond sad to see the cycles of destruction repeat and exacerbate in Iran and the region. For all our advancement in technology, GDP (unequally) and AI, we remain pointlessly hollowed by religious and political divide, and at the mercy of neo imperialism/ fascism with the military industrial complex puppeteering leaders into endless wars.

We have seen this script before. March 2003, during my secondary school days, I witnessed the law of the jungle in effect for the first time as George Bush & cronies led the unilateral invasion of Iraq for ‘regime change’ and the now infamous ‘weapons of mass destruction (distraction)’. The result was the destabilisation of the whole region and hundreds of thousands dead. Let’s not even get into the politics and profiteering of $Oil.

Even as a youth, I thought it was mightily unjust for an invasion, regardless of how tragic the 9-11 incident was. ‘Terror’ will keep perpetuating unless root causes are tackled. One wrong does not justify another wrong. Hate begets hate. Those events in the Middle East turned out to be the catalyst of intellectual awakening, preceding my journey into spirituality, wellness, social impact and sustainability.

In times like these, the ideals of sustainability, equity and inclusion seem like a distant facade. Yet more important and urgent than ever, we need to look into the depths of shared humanity and sow the seeds of hope and understanding into the next generation (of leaders). I hope the adage ‘The night is darkest before dawn’ applies to the current surfacing of our collective shadows, to empathise pain points from a regulated state and realign common values.

How does your emotional and mental landscape look like in this time? In the past week I have felt a mixture of frustration, anger, moodiness, helplessness, with a tinge of hope. I recall a similar sense of angst and anti-establishment vibe I felt in my youth and the ‘darkness’ driving the early Dr Foo sound. Often the music we listen to accentuates our mood. What are you listening to these days? Here is mine this past week, as I recall my electronic music and emotional roots – something that has deeper hypnotic shades, a lil dark but with a sense of expansive connection to something greater than us – aptly titled Xpander by Sasha.

So I ponder how do we break this cycle of fear and division? Inner work and integration on multiple levels is urgently needed: global leaders need to look within, find regulation, purpose and inner alignment before diplomatic dialogue resumes; all of us at the individual level need to reconnect to human values, compassion for self and others, and face our collective fears and differences with compassionate enquiry. As Carl Jung said: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

We have to reclaim our own humanity, values and judgment by disrupting the external fear based and political forces that perpetuates conflict and division. We can do so by first regulating our nervous system, moving from fight or flight into more relaxed parasympathetic response, where we can look at things objectively using more of our prefrontal cortex. This will also build resilience and psychological safety, enabling us to reframe challenging situations through a hopeful solution focused lens, and staying perceptive amidst sensationalism.

We can follow this up by extending compassion for ourselves and for those suffering – both victims and even the perceived aggressors (the tough part yes). We can then begin to see the roots of wars and conflicts (both within and without), and start to spread the seeds of compassion, non-violence and understanding.

Listen before reacting, breathe and observe all thoughts, sensations, emotions and perspectives. Practice nonviolent communication, as a starting point to break the cycle of reactionary conflict. This is also a personal reminder to myself, as the ‘activist’ in me rises against injustice.

Just as music can convey our current mood, we can also consciously use it to shift our emotional state and nervous system. So here is the doc prescribing an aural pill for self-regulation to aid in fertilising the soil of the mind and heart for compassionate understanding and solutioning. Layered with binaural beats, meditative drone soundscapes, and healing overtones of Himalayan Singing Bowls, Reverie Harp and Hand Pan (Rav) for easeful brainwave entrainment into theta state. And when paired with conscious intentions, the effect of sound gets amplified even further.

You can access the full track recording on Insight Timer here 🎧

If you like what you hear, come check out my upcoming special Sound & light therapy sessions happening on 28 March afternoon at the Loft – a day of music and wellness curations happening in a sumptuous space with great sound system. Limited tickets – details here 🙂

Have a fruitful reflective week ahead – let me know your thoughts on how we can break the cycles of conflict, and what tunes/ sounds you are listening to that describes your inner landscape or is helping you to shift intentionally 🙂