Ain't No Time To Hate

In a world where every word can travel across the globe in an instant, the idea of war and prolonged conflict feels increasingly out of place. The Grateful Dead said it best: "Ain't no time to hate." People everywhere are busy living—finding joy, building connections, navigating their own challenges. Of course, disagreements exist, but the way we resolve them doesn’t have to be destructive. Technology, dialogue, and our shared humanity have created faster, more thoughtful ways to connect.

Look at Bj?rt Kragesteen’s story, packing up her life in Tel Aviv to seek a quieter existence in Stockholm. It’s a sentiment shared by many across the world: If life in one place becomes unbearable—whether due to war, political instability, or economic collapse—people move on. And yet, having the option to simply leave is not universal.

My own time living in Latin America showed me this truth up close. For so many people, the idea of “just leaving” is a privilege, not an inherent right. Sure, it’s a privilege that’s earned, not freely given, but it’s a privilege all the same. For some, there’s no easy escape. Not everyone has the ability to uproot their lives. They don’t all have smartphones to know what’s going on at the global level or the resources to find their way to safer ground. It’s important to remember them. We can’t simply turn our backs on countries and communities struggling to survive. The earth’s abundance is more than enough for everyone to live comfortably by their own measure, and we have to find ways to work together to make that a reality.

I’ve always felt this deep connection to the ethos of the Grateful Dead, especially during the years I spent following them across the country before Jerry Garcia passed. That time shaped me—instilled in me a free spirit that ultimately led to a life of self-employment and remote work for nearly three decades now. The spirit we Deadheads carried felt so different from the mainstream society around us. While most people were caught up in the noise and drivel of everyday life, we traveled from city to city, finding places to camp, making our way without being impeded by the world's mundane conversations.

And that same spirit of non-conformity, that desire for a simpler, more meaningful life, feels like it’s reemerging in people all over the world. It’s like more and more individuals are realizing they don’t belong in the world their governments and media are showing them. They’re waking up to how outdated their leadership feels, just as we Deadheads once felt that society wasn’t for us. In a way, they’re getting on the bus, just like we did—choosing to live a life filled with purpose and connection, but not in the rigid, nationalistic sense.

People are starting to see through the endless noise and are instead opting for simplicity, for peace, and for happiness. That’s always been at the heart of what the Grateful Dead represented—a life of freedom, individuality, and unity. And the world, slowly but surely, is tuning into that same frequency. They’re seeing there really "ain’t no time to hate" as Jerry sang to us. because life is too short, too precious to waste on anything but love, connection, and finding their own way forward.

I am not advocating for some form of global control as we need to preserve the beauty of all of our cultures otherwise would would become bland, boring, and "normal." But, we need to do so without throwing so many stones, as Rob Barlow told us.

This was prompted by the following article among others: War-fatigued Israel faces brain drain one year on from Hamas attack (yahoo.com)