Life as we know it, is over. We live amidst the most technologically enlightened era of our time, yet our means of survival has been reduced to effective hand washing. Daily acts we took for granted are fading fast. Meeting a friend at the coffee shop. Hugging our parents and grandparents. Sending children to school. Going into an office. Mindlessly walking outside for a breath of fresh air.
Humanity is experiencing a breakdown. The COVID-19 bug has disrupted the system. A fix is not yet available, and only time will determine if the update will improve its performance. Gone is the old standard of education, employment, economics and etiquette. We are facing a new degree of evolution as human beings on this earth. Rapid shifts are occurring and we are being called to acknowledge, process, and evolve with them.
A New Reality
Even as a writer, it’s challenging to find the language to understand this massive global shift. With alarming news flooding our screens and senses daily, our old reality is quickly slipping away and an uncertain future lies on our horizon. It’s feeling quite apocalyptic, supported by the eerie quiet of typically bustling city streets and stores. While the end of the world feels near, the Greek word “apocalypse” means an unveiling or revelation. It begs the question, what is being revealed to us right now, for those who are grounded, centered, and conscious enough to look, listen and act?
Everyday the death toll rises. Everyday there are new restrictions. Regulations are being enforced for protective purposes during a time when personal and public health are one and the same. It seems like our liberties are being taken away, as we are locked down inside our own walls; yet is it not only a soft personal sacrifice to ensure the survival of our human race? As the meme says, “Our grandparents were called to war. We are being called to sit on our couch.” It feels like we are teetering along the cliff, balancing on a thin line between death and rebirth.
It also feels…like a relief of sorts.
Each of us is being challenged to live with a greater sense of awareness, integrity, and respect for the other. Each of us has a personal responsibility to reevaluate our current behaviors and how that impacts the greater good. If each of us intentionally chooses faith over fear, is that not an opportunity to act with collective courage?
A Universal Invitation
Today, as many living in our world are resting on the cusp of quarantine and self-isolation, it seems like a universal invitation to find stillness amidst the madness. A forced moment to stop distracting ourselves from ourselves, to recalibrate, reground, and excavate a new foundation. To reprioritize time and values and tasks. To invest energy on what matters. To get back to basics, let go of the non-essentials, eliminate over-consumption. To consider how to restructure our employment, education and economic systems to create a more equal balance for our collective good.
It is said that a lesson will keep appearing until it is learned. This viral moment is begging us to stop. To feel. To tap in to higher living, more intentional thoughts, focused attention, neighborly consideration, a universal mindset – a respect for all beings living on earth.
The human race is being forced to slow down, and reexamine our incessant need for speed towards the finish line. Will we keep racing to the end, or will we pause, take a deep breath, take care of each other, change our ways, and choose to appreciate the life we have right here, right now?
