Here we are. One year on. What a crazy year it has been. I haven’t written since my last hopeful blog post talking about the silver linings of the pandemic. Looking back is like remembering my childhood before the tsunami of life pulled me under, jumbled me about and eventually spat me out onto dry land.
Last year clearly hasn’t unified us nationally nor globally. Misinformation and conspiracy theories have been able to tap into our underlying emotions of fear and anger that may ordinarily be suppressed by clinging onto our busy work/life schedules. 2020 has put an abrupt halt to our distractions, which for many has been a painful but also enlightening experience.
Although there have been many negatives, the experience has given us a new appreciation for the most essential things in life. For many of us it has re-calibrated our priorities for the better (that is the privileged of us who were able to carry on with life from the safety of our living rooms). Despite the grave ideological differences that divide the general population here in the US and in so many countries all around the world, we’re not able to ignore that we are all in fact sitting in the same boat. We’re reminded of the fact, that when it boils down to it, we’re all simply just fathers, mothers, daughters and sons. We love and we grieve the same way. We all had to deal with change, fear, loss and uncertainty. We added new terms such as ‘social distancing’ and ‘essential worker’ to our vocabulary. Mask signs, floor stickers or hand sanitizing stations have become part of everyday life for every person around the globe. For once we can really appreciate and understand what strangers in other cities, countries or continents are going through. Although we understand suffering and injustice in far away countries intellectually, their realities are oftentimes so far removed from our own life experience that we fail to fully identify with their suffering. That’s not the case this time around.
Although many may disagree with me I do think that this experience has brought us closer together as a whole. Not in an overt and immediate sense, but more like a seed planted in the depth of our guts — an underlying feeling of sameness even if some of us desperately struggle against it. Once there’s a threat that affects the whole of humankind, we understand our similarities better than in any other times. The fragility and vulnerability of our existence is blatantly laid bare as well as our inter-connectedness with nature. For many of us it wasn’t an easy thing to be confronted with.
In my own experience I’ve developed a renewed sense of interconnectedness with nature. It’s easy to forget that we are nature and that everything that we manufacture and create comes from nature. We tend to disassociate ‘man made’ or ‘artificial’ from ‘natural’, when it’s really not. Nature is not ‘out there’ at the beach or in the woods, it’s not just flowers, animals and organic vegetables. The tarmac on the highway and the plastic waste we produce is all made from the planet’s resources. Our own bodies are made from the very same building blocks and we tend to forget that. We manipulate nature in countless different ways, often creating an imbalance that’s not in our own nor the planet’s best interest. Mother earth has made her voice heard last year. It was a devastating blow and a wake up call to remind us all who’s really boss here.
Hopefully we’re all humbled by the experience of 2020 and laser focus our efforts on issues like climate change. We have experienced what it feels like to sleep walk into disastrous circumstances. I’m hoping we’re now less inclined to procrastinate on other pressing matters.
I am hopeful and believe in the human condition to be able to turn things around. It has been incredible to see how much we could achieve in a short span of time. The development of the vaccines is only one example. Our innovative and creative spirit has really shone through this year with so many meaningful contributions by and to individuals and society as a whole. We’re inherently adaptable, resilient and can come together as the going gets tough. As much as there’s a deep seated fear in many that seeks to divide us, there’s a flip side to the coin which is gaining momentum in equal measures.
Maybe it’s naive of me to believe so, but I choose to look forward with hope. Fear only has the power to stop things from progressing, but with hope and love for ourselves and others we can create and innovate. To remain frozen in our tracks won’t save anyone. I believe it’s up to every single one of us to work on our limitations. Before we understand our fears and gain at least a little objective understanding of our own internal workings we can’t be of real help to the outside world. Boiled down to it, much of the imbalance and chaos in the world is a mere reflection of personal suffering, inner hurt and fear. As a society we are taking care of our physical health by cleaning out the smallest of cuts, but ignore to tend to our internal wounds, letting them grow and fester. It’s much easier to focus on changing things on the outside (there’s nothing wrong with that) but we have to understand that it’s like slapping a band aid over an injury without really addressing the underlying cause. We must start to acknowledge our ancestral wounds, that are being passed on from generation to generation and heal holistically. In my opinion, children need to be counselled on understanding their emotions and inner workings from an early age as a part of the curriculum at school. Exclusive focus on academic learning is simply not enough to support a new generation to thrive and become well rounded, mature individuals.
I’m fully aware that things are easier said than done, but like this Japanese proverb states: ちりもつもれば、やまとなる “Even dust if piled can become a mountain”. If a tree is to grow, a seed needs to be planted first. So consider this as a small contribution, my speck of dust, to raise awareness and plant a seed for introspection in a few people’s minds.
