n light of the current COVID-19 Pandemic, I really wasn’t sure what to write. I admit it has been heavy on my mind. I worry about how easy it is to spread because while the survival rate is high, I don’t see people taking the necessary precautions to mitigate the issue. Instead of taking the time to ensure that we can all collectively and systematically take care of our elderly and those with compromised immune systems, most people are either not taking the threat seriously and being reckless, or they are having mental breakdowns and going into fight or flight mode.
I also worry about the economy as we can already see the first wave of layoffs that we as a country don’t have the infrastructure to support. I also worry about our healthcare system’s ability to handle a wider spread of this pandemic as hospitals are already running out of tests for COVID-19.
These are confusing and hard times. The truth is that there is still so much that is unknown about COVID-19 and while I hope that this is over in a month, I don’t think that is a realistic timeline. Even with all of these concerns, I have hope, because the only way to fight fear is not to fight it. Fear deserves a seat at the proverbial table but it does not get control. When we let our fears control us, we make bad decisions. We get stuck in tunnel vision mode because we think that it is the only way to survive. That may have worked wonders in the prehistoric age of human evolution but it will not serve us in our evolution now. That is the whole point of civilization as we know it. We realized we are stronger in numbers; that with a shared goal of safety and prosperity for humanity, we can all live better lives.
So, I encourage you to be collaborative in this time because this shall too pass, but how it passes is dependent on how we respond. Stay home if you are sick. Wear masks if you have one to wear and wash your hands. Sanitize all commonly touched surfaces and don’t go to packed places if not completely necessary. Stay educated on the situation with facts and fact check your sources. Share resources as much as you can with those who may need them (this includes valid information). Remember it’s not about you getting sick if you are healthy, it’s about the possibility that you could get someone who isn’t as healthy, sick.
On a more spiritual note, now is a great time to do your shadow work. We are being called to look at the frailty and impermanence of our existence and that is scary, but we can’t keep shoving it under the rug and pretending it will go away. It will keep creeping out, as our lessons do, until we are ready to face it, or more accurately, until we no longer have a rug big enough to shove it under.
I don’t think this is ‘The End of Times’ but I do think it is ‘An End of Times.’ We are being called to grow and stretch ourselves to be able to hold hope and light in the face of fear and uncertainty, not to stamp it out but rather to acknowledge it. We can’t have light without darkness and darkness isn’t always equal to evil.
To have true hope and compassion we must be honest about the reality of the situations we are living through. We must consciously understand the decisions we make and what is driving them. We must acknowledge where we are and how we got here. And finally, we must choose to come together in light of it all.
I know it gets hard to look at all of the ickiness in the world and have hope; so just as you face your fears, you must not lose sight of the love and beauty in yourself and the world. Though you can’t find love and beauty that you don’t have inside yourself as well you know. It’s all a reflection, the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’. So, look to stories of kindness and generosity in your community because I am sure you will find them
Get inspired by those around you so that you can inspire yourself and others.
