If nothing was learnt during the time of Covid, what a pity that would be.
As we all know, the Coronavirus has stopped the world in its tracks, and what a change it has created. On a global scale, the flaws that we already knew about society were brought to the surface. Political issues, societal issues and environmental issues just to name a few. On top of that, the world as a collective, was forced back into our own solitude. We were forced back into our own presence, our own minds. Whether that was a positive or a negative depends on the reader.
Changes were quick and drastic and many were left unable to comprehend the current situation. We can see from Covid that we, as human beings, rely quite heavily on external stimulus and we seem to struggle with our own solitude. We struggle to sit with ourselves and our minds. We struggle to be present, to be aware and to reflect on our own thoughts. But instead, we run, we work and we avoid what is going on within. We are a busy society, or should I say, we were a busy society.
Then arrived Covid, the change that we weren't expecting. The world we were used to was forced to turn to a completely unfamiliar direction. With this unfamiliarity and discomfort we all suddenly felt, the realness of people started to arise. It has been said that if you put someone in a desperate situation, you will soon find out who they really are. And so we did. We saw greed, ignorance, rebellious behaviour and the lack of care we have for the health and safety of anyone else. In contrast, we also saw the purity of the human heart, the love and selflessness of some. Sweetness will always be taken with a pinch of bitterness, and vice versa. It is what we choose to see and embody that matters the most. As for others, it is not our job to judge, as we have no knowledge of their circumstance, their experiences and their past. For all we know, they are just trying their best to survive with what they know, just like us. And if we knew their circumstances, maybe we wouldn't be judging, for everyone is fighting a battle we can't see.
As the world stopped, and we were made to go back into our solitude, what were we carrying in our hearts and minds? If you were restless, if you found it difficult to sit with your mind, if you found yourself always needing to be preoccupied with something, rest assured, you are not alone. This is something we are not used to as a culture, but is solitude something we all needed? Was this a time for us to see what was truly important, what truly mattered to us?
We were all shown the value of life, we started to see the value of our loved ones, the value of the time we spent with them, the importance of pure human connection, the value of being able to create peace within ourselves in order to generate more peace externally. Work stopped being a priority, more time for family and less time being stressed. We saw that money and status, external and mundane gains were of little use to help us be at peace with ourselves. That these things weren't as important as family, love, safety and life itself. We realised we were all in the same boat, rich or poor, we were all at risk. Having an old car or new car didn't matter, we couldn't go anywhere. Have we stopped to think, that maybe we were the problem? That our attachments, our lack of clarity in terms of what's important was the problem?
Listening to a podcast called ‘Under the skin’, I was fortunate enough to come across a great teaching
A buddhist monk once said, we always say “panic, panic, panic! Everything is out of control.” But in the Buddhist world, they say “relax, everything is out of control.” Something we can take from Covid is the idea that everything will change, the idea of impermanence and how to be present with whatever happens regardless of what happens. Any danger presents an opportunity for growth, whether it be internal or external and I hope that we now truly understand the importance and meaning of the word solidarity.
With Covid, comes an opportunity for us, as individuals and as a society, to learn about ourselves and our values. May society come out of this pandemic in a better state. The question is, are we going to take this learning opportunity?
Afternote:
This blog was written for us to see the bright light in solidarity and to learn from this experience that was forced on us. I understand that there are many that have lost loved ones during Covid and may have found it hard to see this as a positive learning experience. To those reading who have had to deal with loss, my sincere condolences. My prayers go out to you all.