Lockdown Realisations...
I woke up with a feeling of fear this morning. Looked outside my window with a flashback of the freedom I enjoyed a few months ago. I watched a few people walking on the street with masks and keeping their distance from each other. My phone beeped and when I clicked, a video of attacks on doctors popped up. I looked up at the sky and helplessly asked, "why, are you allowing this to happen."
Yes, I thanked the almighty for my family being safe and for all the food I had at home, but this morning my heart went out to Life. All those who have succumbed to this illness, all those who are striving to fight it every day and all those at home waiting in hope that it will all be over soon. It all seems like an endless nightmare. My heart felt sorry for what we'd done with the gifts given to us. How we used everything that came our way selfishly for our own pleasures. I felt sorry to have stolen the space of the creatures that has now led us to be trapped in our own fancy cages. Perhaps it was not that we literally went out to hurt them, but by wanting to acquire more and more, in some way or the other we ended up doing just that. Perhaps, we missed the fact that simple is enough. Little is a lot. True, the earth is cleaning up and the birds fly free today, but I never dreamt it would be at the cost of so many lives. Couldn't we have done more before we reached here?
My heart was filled with gratitude to those who still relentlessly served. Even at the risk of their own lives they consistently get out there and do what they must. We do it too, but for our own people. One had to be bigger than himself/herself to have such an outlook towards life. I felt bad that they still suffered at the hands of people who didn't understand their value. This is what we've done and this is what some still continue to do. Abuse what is sent to us as a blessing and turn it into a curse.
I pray this time is over soon, but it leaves us with properly absorbed lessons, that we need to grow up and take account of how we treat our people, our land, our resources, our abilities and our life as a whole. Do we only live this life acquiring things for ourselves and our families or do we understand there is a bigger purpose than just that? At least, I know I've learned a lot from this phase. What has been your biggest learning?
Shalini Gamre
Counsellor / Corporate Trainer / Student Coach / Author