By now, most of us have heard the phrase “it’s ok not to be ok”. It’s a global mental health awareness charity, a book, a film, and all-round great hashtag. But isn’t it really a miracle to be ok at all?
Yesterday we went to Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre to hear Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten in conversation with the comedian, actress and mental health advocate Ruby Wax. As Wax puts it, “these days, trying to stay sane in a completely chaotic world makes life incredibly difficult.”
For Yeshi, arriving in the UK some thirteen years ago, this was certainly the single biggest shock. He knew little about our country or life in the west in general, but in his imagination mental health would go hand in hand with material wealth.
Soon enough, he discovered that this was not the case. When he started his market stall in Gloucester Green he quickly became a magnet for displaced people from around the city. He was always happy to chat to someone new, and eventually he acquired regulars. These were not customers, but people who were just grateful for some company.
After a while, juggling his momos and curries – all of which he prepared from scratch at the stall – became too much alongside his newfound social function. So he hired an assistant: not to cook for him, but to talk to the people who pitched up for a chat.
Lord knows the state of our world has only deteriorated since then. And, as Wax tells it, our primitive brains simply cannot handle the deluge of bad news we receive from all its different corners on a daily basis. They cannot separate out immediate danger from the threats from far away.
Our relationship with information has changed dramatically over the last fifteen/twenty years. “It now comes to us in quite an invasive manner,” says Thubten, “and the information we read is monetised in such a way that it has to create some kind of anxiety in us to make us read more”.
If you’re finding it hard to cope everything you see and hear in the news right now, remember that we’re just not designed to process information in this way or on this scale. Or come and chat to Yeshi – your local community confidant.
We’re looking forward to having you in this week. Here are our opening hours:
Wednesday – Friday: 5-9.30pm (dinner only)
Saturday and Sunday: 12-3 (lunch) / 5-9.30pm (dinner)
Our menu is on the website now – check it. Come to us for dine in or take away this week, or you can also order the momos in through Deliveroo.
Finally, if there’s someone in your life who you think would love our cookbook, Amazon have it at almost half price at the moment, so grab it quick before they pull the deal! Otherwise we always love new reviews – please click here to leave yours 🙏🏽
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon,
Julie and Yeshi
Opening hours this week:
Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm
Sat / Sun: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9.30pm
☏ 01865 499318
