TERRIBLE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT
Sunday, Apr. 26, 2020
Humans are not at risk of extinction yet, but human-ness and humanity are under threat.
We all need to show up, suit up, and get in the game, this arduous humanity survival game. We need to show up for each other like never before. This is the 21st century; recent reminders, a time of viruses and presidents, run amok demonstrate how we have to stop, contain, and eliminate threats we never imagined before.
Answers are not in my mirror, so I look everywhere I can. Media, TEDtalks, YouTube videos, and other sources leave me feeling better informed. Just don’t call me happy.
I’ve found myself less worried than I expected – news-junkie, wanting to know everything I can to be up to date on what is happening. This week I watched an hour interview on the Monk Dialogues with economist Mohamed El-Erain, about what we should expect ‘after COVID-19’ – an extraordinary look at our future. The other big-learn of my week came from watching three TEDtalks, all brilliant ones, with a fellow named Brilliant; I recommend watching them in sequence:
I’ve been wondering, what qualities and actions best serve us?
Which characteristics are most important right now?
We are all getting numb to numbers. Scary, though small, at first; now larger ones don’t cause many emotional ripples, because we’ve either gotten used to them, or we are coping well, but I’m not sure about either.
We are numbed into complacency, or outraged by continued shutdowns – just watch any news channel for more numbing. We are becoming twisted versions of our former selves; isolation and distancing keep us away from our usual connections. Zoom etc. are great, but have limitations.
Does anyone know the future?
How could anyone know when governments, corporations, and best experts aren’t in agreement and cannot give us clear direction. We will emerge, I am convinced, as a more careful population – because this virus is not the end of us, but instead preparing us for a future of biological accidents, weapons, and other variations which come from too many people, too many people-animal connections, too much wildlife habitat eroded, and failure to act quickly.
What concerns me most is not whether Mr. El-Erain or Dr. Brilliant are right or wrong, not survival of governments, financial institutions, nations, races, or societies – but whether our spirit survives, thrives, and carries on, with a better life for everyone.
Our focus needs to be family first. We worry about those closest to us first, ourselves second, and then everyone else if we have energy or emotion left. There will always be many in far worse circumstances than us; no matter how bad it is for us, we are lucky ones. Lucky beyond measure.
Being confronted with terrible things is not new. How we deal with them needs radical change if we are to avoid worse things in our future.
Tomorrow will come.
Show up.
