The Dead Cat Bounce En Route to Enlightenment

I don’t consider myself woo-woo. Maybe just a little woo.

Yet I find myself nodding along with the talk of a global awakening. Societal enlightenment seems in progress.

Parenting our children is getting gentler and more child-focused, generation upon generation.  Education is more globally accessible. We’re looking at what we’ve done to this planet and how we can sustainably course-correct. Inequalities are being brought to light and starting to be addressed.

For a while, it seemed like the archaic way of injustice and indifference was starting to decline. A more compassionate, responsive, and responsible way was uprising in its place.

And then, suddenly, cartoonish leaders are elected with a frightening lack of compassion and integrity. Greek tragedy-level hubris takes over political initiatives as divisive movements gather traction. Human rights and equality take leaps backward. And earth-friendly accords are threatened.

And then, mired in hopelessness, you wonder:  was I wrong?  Did I imagine an improving direction? Did my limited vision blind me to the fact that evil actually reigns supreme and we’re all going to hell in a handbasket?

I don’t think so. I think we’re experiencing a Dead Cat Bounce. In the finance world, a dead cat bounce is a Wall Street phrase that refers to the brief price recovery of a stock on its way down. The saying comes from the notion that everything will bounce when it falls from a great height. Even a dead cat.

I think that’s what we’re seeing here. That reckless, archaic way is having its brief resurgence before continuing its plummet to extinction.

So now, more than ever, it’s vital that we keep the faith in the compassionate evolution. It’s imperative that we do not let fear of this resurgence paralyze us. We must forge forward on our mission for a kinder existence.

And we don’t have to wait for better circumstances to do so. We can start right now by seeing where we can be kinder to ourselves.

Where can you offer yourself greater compassion?  Be gentler?  Give yourself permission?  

These periods are brief.  Hold on to your hope.

And keep your kitties away from ledges.