How then shall we live - ancient paths and the 'new normal'

Stand at the crossroads and look: ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. - Jeremiah 6: 16 NIV

In the moving?Elephant Queen?documentary, Athena, the 50 year old matriarch of a herd of elephants at risk of dying of thirst during an unprecedented drought, remembers the ancient pathway to a water hole fed by an underground spring, leading them on a perilous journey to survival.

In “The Day the World Changed”?documentary, about how nature responded when the world “paused” during the pandemic, when the deer in Nara, Japan, used to being fed by visitors, were going hungry, they were led by the older deer to the remains of the meadows where they used to graze, enabling them to survive.

In both of these stories, remembering old ways enabled their survival.?

How did humans respond to the “great pause”, and what did we remember when we were forced to stay at home? One of the more humourous was the meme inducing baking of banana bread. At a deeper level though, this?paper?concludes,“Familiar foods can bring up warm nostalgic feelings that can comfort us. They remind us of who we are, grounding our personal histories in larger historical movements and reminding us of continuity when the future is uncertain”.?

Families ate together, played games and shared stories together. People reconnected with friends, the older generations and their neighbours to ensure that they were OK. Some people started gardening or took up neglected hobbies, and others started?food-gardens.

These “old ways” of living and being helped us to cope with the stress and boredom, and the feeling of helplessness from being confined to our homes and “socially distanced” from others.

Like Athena, we are all part of a story that started before us and will continue after us.?The question is, having remembered the old ways, will they be abandoned as we head back to the “new normal”, or will we draw wisdom from these times, continuing on these generations- old paths (or a hybrid, technology supported, modern day equivalent)??

Many people, facing the existential threat of this (and potential future) pandemics, have thought long on hard about who they are (often reconnecting with, or exploring, their faith and spirituality), and what kind of lives they want to live. This has likely contributed to “The Great Resignation”, where people have resigned from their jobs in droves to pursue different pathways.

The pandemic has been a massive disruptor, often tragically so, with many losing loved ones to COVID and it's complications - we lost our son-in-law to COVID.

What it has done, is ask us us one of life's big questions.

How will you choose to live, love and lead (in the new normal)?

What will you start doing, stop doing, and continue doing?

If this is something that you would like to pause and reflect on, please reach out.

As a professionally qualified executive and leadership coach I have worked with hundreds of leaders over the last 15 years, passionately supporting them to identify opportunities to close gaps in their leadership practice, turning awareness into the wisdom and action to live and lead with radical humanity.?