"We have to be ready to let go of the planned life in order to have the life that is waiting for us." ~ Joseph Campbell
It is difficult to believe the state of the world we are in. It seems like 2020 was the act of an apocalyptic film.
A microscopic virus invades planet Earth and targets people. As a large number of people withdraw indoors, the wildlife begins to thrive. Slowly, continent by continent, the human bacteria are being eliminated. Only the strongest of the species survive and mutate, creating a new Homo Sapiens breed. After all, the planet Earth can breathe.
Who would have ever thought that something like this would stop the world? (Well, apparently Bill Gates.)
I am ashamed to admit that my weekly screen report at screen time went up 73 percent last week, and I very much doubt I was the only one. Every time I picked up my cell phone, I was drawn into a rabbit hole with news with terrible headlines, live videos all over the world, reading new laws, and catching up with hundreds of WhatsApp and Facebook messages. I couldn't focus on anything for more than a second and my regular meditation routine was thrown out the window.
Fear is an animal and it thrives in this kind of environment. My little fearful dog brain runs around in a circle with all kinds of horrible scenarios.
I had meticulously planned the next six months of my life and so perfectly aligned: completing my internship in the hospital, working part-time, completing school, getting married in Canada. But now everything seems to be floating, held in the air, and I'm just waiting for the parts to fall.
There are people I know who have it so much worse. They have lost their jobs and have to move out of their houses because they cannot pay rent.
Not to mention the people who actually have coronavirus, how terrible it could be. They live in makeshift hospital tents, are cared for by nurses in protective suits, and their families pray that they will find out alive. Or those who die of something completely different and have no visitors who can say goodbye on their last living days.
The effects are far-reaching and heartbreaking. It has been devastating to so many of us and my heart feels a peak of pain from everywhere.
With all the pain and chaos, however, there is a silver lining: We are all united. We are literally all together; whether you live in a small village in Afghanistan or in an upscale neighborhood in California. The whole world works together to help each other and fix this mess.
The power of love and community is shown in touching videos of people singing together on their balconies and roofs in Italy. Or people who leave messages in my mailbox and let me know that they can pick up food or medication when I'm sick.
The virus has no status, no religion, no ethnicity. Below we are all the same, we are all just human; fragile and mortal little creatures.
When faced with a pandemic, we see the futility of so many things in our lives. The superficial fancy clothes and expensive cars, what does that ultimately give you? How important is that at the moment? Or planning and planning and saving for "later", if what if there is no later? Working in jobs we hate, with people who make us angry because we are too afraid of change or too afraid to fail?
It is a very stressful and volatile time, there is no doubt about it. I'm not going to sit here and tell you how to stay positive and thankful and blah blah blah. Feel whatever you feel, let it take its course. It is perfectly normal to feel powerless and anxious, and you are certainly not alone. In fact, you couldn't be less alone in your state of mind now.
But it is also important to remember that humans are resilient little creatures – that is, you. Yes, you are reading this. You are a resilient being and that will make you stronger.
Imagine the creativity that will arise during this quarantine period? Can you imagine the art, the songs, the writing, the stories, the incredible ingenuity that was born from this time?
We are resilient beings and our minds can go far and wide. We may feel fear and fear, but we can also feel creativity and compassion. This is a time for people to re-analyze the world we live in. To take a break from the rat breed of society and find something authentic and true in ourselves.
Human history will not end with the corona virus destroying us, we will overcome it. But maybe and hopefully an old, stale form of society will die out.
Perhaps this is an opportunity for humanity to create a more sustainable world, not only for the planet but also for us humans.
Perhaps it is a little foretaste of a world in which we are not just a cog in the wheel of a giant company machine, but a place where we can bring in our true humanity, our innate gifts. This virus has forced us to rethink everything and the leaders of our worlds are struggling to get everything under control. This is exactly where change takes place.
Every day is a new day and in today's world we cannot predict what will happen in an hour, let alone tomorrow. Now is the time to rest and incubate your mind so it can bask in its own creative juices. It is a time of unprecedented change. Allow this resilience and creativity that is inherent in you to spread.
The world is waiting.
About Kimberly Hetherington
Kimberly Hetherington is a Canadian writer and practicing transpersonal art therapist based in Sydney, Australia. Her website Life After Elizabeth pays homage to her sister, who passed away in autumn 2013. The website is all about healing for loss, discovering yourself, ending the stigma of mental illness and finding out how we can be the best version of ourselves we can be.
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