In one of our first guest posts we are happy to introduce the article "When life gives you corona" by Selina Heinsch, who is one of the authors of TOL. Read how COVID-19 affects our lives and allow a shift to a positive perspective. This is a cross-post of THIS article from: https://thinkingoutloud.site/
Selina Heinsch writes for TOL:
What do we do when we can’t rush from appointment to appointment, when our days are not stuffed with meetings, running errands or ticking off other to dos? It feels like the new virus COVID-19 forces us all to slow down. To focus on ourselves and the most meaningful people in our lives. People start to have long phone calls again, they take the time to write thoughtful emails or even letters, they focus with every fibre of their body on the question “How are you?” and listen carefully. Also, we seem to remember all these things we always wanted to do but never took the time to – for example, learn how to play an instrument, start painting or finally make that photo album from the last summer vacation.
Is Corona a global messenger? One that gives us the “yellow card” to remind us that faster is not always better and to bring back awareness of the meaning of solidarity and consideration, that while digitalisation is as useful and inevitable than ever before, it is the people who shape how we live together as a community. We are not just lemmings running from A to B in a predefined system.
As citizens of the Western hemisphere we are used to get what we want. We declared ourselves superior towards animals and plants, we dominate and exploit nature and if our human skills are not sufficient enough, we just invent something to make it work. If we want to fly to the moon, we build rockets. If we want perfect babies, we design their DNA. Perhaps we also need to be reminded that we are not gods, but also just a part in something bigger.
I want to share with you a little story from one of my favourite books, Mutant Message Down Under from Marlo Morgan, where an American woman goes on a three months walkabout in the Australian Outback with an Aboriginal tribe. In that scene, she describes the bush flies travelling in black packs of what seems to be millions.
I could not help eating and breathing flies. They crawled into my ears, up my nose, clawed my eyes, and even managed to get past my teeth and enter my throat. They clung to my body so when I looked down, it appeared I was wearing some sort of black armour. They didn’t bite, but I was too busy suffering to notice. It was the most gruelling ordeal I have ever suffered. I could well understand how being covered with millions of moving insect legs could drive a person insane. When the tribal people see or hear the insects approaching, they immediately stop, close their eyes, and stand still, arms hanging limply at the side. I asked several people how they could just stand there forever, limp, and let insects crawl over them. They merely smiled at me. Later the leader explained: “Everything in Oneness has a purpose. There are no freaks, misfits or accidents. There are only things that humans do not understand. You believe the bush flies to be bad, to be hell, and so for you they are, but it is only because you are minus the necessary understanding and wisdom. In truth, they are necessary and beneficial creatures. They crawl down our ears and clean out the wax and sand that we get from sleeping each night. Yes, they climb up our nose and clean it out too. The flies crawl and cling to our body and take off everything that is eliminated.” He took a deep sigh as he looked at me intently and said, “Humans cannot exist if everything that is unpleasant is eliminated instead of understood.”
Without a doubt the COVID-19 crisis causes sorrows and uncertainty. Many of us are worried about the economy, finances and foremost our health. Especially for the older people among us an infection can be dangerous. Numerous business owners don’t know for sure if their business will outlive the crisis. In my case, for example, I don’t know when I will see my partner again who is thousands of miles away. Our individual circumstances may vary, but we are all equally affected by the virus. Unfortunately, we can’t change that. Yet, what we can change is our attitude. Maybe, like in the story with the bush flies, we are also too busy suffering to notice the positive aspects of it, the benefits it brings. Because of that crisis we now do things we otherwise wouldn’t have done and become aware of things we otherwise would have taken for granted. Maybe you are lucky enough to have a job that allows you to stay in home office, perhaps you could escape the city and spend time with your family on the countryside…
If we allow a change of perspective towards the positive without losing the necessary sincerity this crisis demands, we will see the efforts of all the people, from government to grass root level, giving their best to carry us through this extreme situation, how because every single one of us can contribute a new sense of solidarity dispreads within our societies, and that there is this unique moment in time where we are all forced to hold on and we can reflect and be thankful.
You can also check out the article here: https://thinkingoutloud.site/when-life-gives-you-corona/ and read more TOL articles here: https://thinkingoutloud.site/