Necessary Corrections….
I am, at my core, an optimist. Part of that comes from living a faith-based life, but perhaps an even larger part comes from the fact that I have to be. I find negativity to be far too heavy a load to carry around with me all day. The burden makes me feel tired, and that means I cannot be there for others who depend upon me daily.
Times are difficult now. Covid-19, or the coronavirus, has taken over our lives. It is an invisible enemy whose power far exceeds anything I’ve endured in my lifetime, and yet I remain optimistic. Even though we are being asked to live our lives in ways and manners that feel foreign and uncomfortable, we are also being granted hidden opportunities.
With exception to the medical industry, governments and certain manufacturers, most of us are being told to take a necessary time out, to shelter in place while those on the front lines wage this war on our behalf. So what do we do with all this time? For me, the journey begins in my mind by asking myself the simple question, “Why?” Why is this happening?
I don’t believe in modern day plagues hurled upon a supposedly evil sector of society, but barrowing from an economic term, I do believe in corrections. So much of the world at large has become far too ego-based and materialistic in nature. Whether it’s spending exorbitant sums of money on homes, automobiles and entertainment, or spending more time on social media than we do with our families, our value system seems to have become skewed. Greed rules everything, and enough is never enough. Maybe that’s why this current virus is primarily attacking more privileged nations while leaving those less developed more or less unscathed.
Peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350, the Black Death, often referred to as “The Plague”, wiped out one-third of the continent’s population. According to Wikipedia, short and long-term effects included a series of biological, social, economic, political and religious upheavals, which had a profound effect on the course of world history. Therefore, is it really outlandish to perceive this current pandemic as an opportunity to re-prioritize our lives in a manner more becoming to the essence of who we are as human beings?
We have a real opportunity now to become more relationship-based, kinder and gentler in our day-to-day interactions with others and less preoccupied with where we’re going and instead appreciate where we are. We can reacquaint ourselves with what it means to be a good human being while seeking leadership from those whose values line up with our own. And last of all, we can say a resounding “no” to fear, hatred, lies, divisiveness and bullying, because such behaviors never made America great.