Silver Lining
Faced with the current COVID-19 pandemic our ordinary lives have been turned upside down as well as inside out within the space of less than a week. Our heads still spinning as if we’d just spilled out of our washer-dryer alongside our weekly laundry load. Suddenly we’re cooped up inside our homes, - stuck. Everything has stopped and we’re going cold turkey, having to let go of nearly all our entitlements that we had on daily life. Many brave individuals are out there fighting to save lives and to keep everything going. We are eternally grateful to you! You are our true heroes! For the majority of us though, our fast paced ‘on-the-go’ lives have come to a screeching halt.
As humans we are pre-destined worry warts, our base setting is negative, so no wonder that we’re constantly on the look out for what could go wrong. This is especially true right now in the midst of these unprecedented times. We’re being bombarded by terrifying news broadcasts about the virus and it’s effects on our health and economy on an hourly basis so it’s easy to lose perspective. Staying vigilant, of course, is helpful and necessary but the line between normal anxiety and panic is easily blurred. The emotional state of any individual has an impact on our collective awareness, so I think it’s important for each of us to observe our reactivity and to learn to assess when our base instincts don’t serve us. We all have the capacity to stay calm whilst facing a scary situation and to accept reality as it presents itself. It’s not easy to surrender to what’s happening to us. We like to be in control, this way we attempt to ensure our safety. We have the innate need to ‘do’ something. When we are presented with a situation that’s absolutely beyond our control such as the one right now, it’s very humbling to be reminded of how small and ultimately insignificant we really are. We’re not dominating nature, she doesn’t belong to us. This knowledge might help us understand that we are not in control and to step outside our “heads” somewhat in order to come into our ‘being’ that solely exists right here, right now. It might help quiet down our overactive imagination so we can resist the urge to project drama into an unknown future.
With that I don’t mean that we should just give up and not care anymore. We absolutely must take all the necessary actions in our power to ensure the safety and prosperity of ourselves as well as those around us as best as we possibly can, BUT once we’ve taken care of what’s in our ‘control’ we can stop fretting, calm down and aim to look out for the silver lining that surrounds any crisis. It highlights our potential for growth, both individually and as a society.
If you have read some of my posts you will know that I like to look at life through the lens of duality. Every situation is opposed by an equal force (think yin-yang:-) Every movement has a counter movement. The more extreme the peril, the greater the chance for positive change as well!
In the current situation of enforced social distancing and restricted access to our usual creature comforts, many of us find ourselves embracing the concept of “less is more”. Being deprived of so much we normally take for granted, makes us realize what is truly meaningful in our lives. With each restriction we understand that we can manage with less. This might present a chance to peel off a lot of the unnecessary clutter that surrounds the core values of our lives. My teenage daughter’s sole humble wish nowadays is to see her friends. I feel relief from the many daily obligations that I’ve put far too much importance on. I’m astonished at how speedily we are adapting to our new reality. Within days, empty supermarket shelves and home schooling have become the norm and it feels like we’ve lost the world as we knew it to a parallel universe. Faced with adversity we very quickly and intuitively revert to the basics: food, safety and shelter, everything else that might have felt like a big deal two weeks ago, now seems like a mere distraction. Isn’t it almost a relief to feel the FOMO (fear of missing out) melt away, leaving behind a sense of calm. There’s much more space for introspection as well as a lesser need for seeking validation from the outside world. We can get to know ourselves again.
My family and I enjoy the extended time we otherwise rarely have together. A leisurely stroll through the neighborhood has become our daily highlight. Selfishly I love that I get to spend so much more time with my teenager than I would under normal circumstances. In our household there’s definitely a new appreciation for social media and the internet. As a mother I typically ‘love to hate’ the internet and can go on and on about its dangers and potential pit falls (specifically) for our offspring. It’s refreshing to see how much digitalization presents itself as a life saver right now. It helps us to stay stocked up on supplies, informed about the happenings around the globe in real time, as well as socially and professionally connected . Instead of resisting online business meet-ups, we’re now just grateful for the fact that such a channel of communication exists and realize that google hang-outs are just as efficient as in-person meetings. Your boss might even relieve you from going on unnecessary business trips after this crisis?
The need for social distancing is definitely one of the tough things we all have to cope with these days. Luckily it’s a temporary measure. It really brings home how small ordinary things like a simple handshake, a hug from a dear one or just hanging out with good friends are some of the biggest blessings in our lives. Community, compassion and connection despite the physical barrier of social distancing is what’s bringing us all together right now. We feel more vulnerable, but communicate with more sincerity and openness than ever before. We understand that we’re truly more alike than different from each other. I’m glad to be reminded of what really matters and to be grateful for what I have. How many of us wake in the morning grateful to be alive, for having eyesight, or functioning legs? We take them for granted until they are gone. I feel humbled by this experience and grateful knowing that we will get our hugs, kisses and shared ice cream sundaes back.
Cooped up at home, many of my friends and family are making creative or practical use of their spare time at home for things they always wanted to do but never had the time for. My 75 year old father-in-law has decided to learn to paint. What a good opportunity to delve deeper into our core, re-discovering long lost interests and passions. Or we might simply want to de-compress and practice love and compassion for ourselves in these crazy times. Many unfortunately can’t take advantage of this luxury, I see friends who are struggling to keep the balls in the air. Small business owners, freelancers or those struggling with childcare whilst still working. They are worried, but I’m amazed to see how they keep going, coming up with new inventive ideas to manage their lives out of necessity. ‘Having to cope’ can be strangely gratifying since we have no time to listen to a monologue from our low self-esteem doubting our capabilities. We just do it and realize that we can achieve so much more than we give ourselves credit for when the times call for it. We learn what needs to be done at an accelerated speed, and it can be empowering. I’m aware that I speak from a position of privilege. I’m lucky my life has so far stayed unaffected by the existential and financial struggles which so many are facing. Easy to talk about ‘silver linings’ when you’re all cushy you might think, nevertheless I believe that we all are growing more resilient in the face of adversity, no matter how big or small. Whatever we have to deal with right now, especially if it’s something that seems unsurmountable (believe me I’ve been there), we have to believe that we’ll overcome it. ‘When not if’ we move past it, a definite silver lining will always accompany our fate, whatever it might be. We can see this difficult time as a great opportunity for conscious growth. It’s all a matter of perspective.
The fact that the entire globe is affected by this crisis is a great wake up call for us all to come together. Nobody is exempt from the virus, no country is save. Despite it’s horrible pretext, it makes us feel more unified as one people than ever. All we see right now are human beings, men, women, children, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters & friends, all vulnerable, all the same. Nobody is exempt, not the rich and privileged. Our future relies on us coming together. Not as poor, rich, black, white, gay, straight, old or young but as humans. We have to be able to govern on a global as well as national level. In a digitally interconnected world national borders are being transgressed. Some of the most pressing global issues, notably the climate crisis, has to be tackled together, right now. We can learn from the current situation, which shows us that under pressing circumstances, mountains can be moved. Things will never be perfect as they are not under the current circumstances, far from it, but how much quicker do we learn from our mistakes, when we’re staring the consequences right in the face? Once this pandemic has passed, the memory of the way it has knocked us all for good, must stay present within us. It will help create momentum in tackling issues such as the climate crisis. My hope for the future is that our wobbly, vulnerable and humbled existence of this moment be a generator for accelerated positive change.
