“I find hope in the
darkest of days and focus in the brightness. I do not judge the
universe.” – Dalai Lama
So, what is it we can hope for on a day that seems very dark
indeed? It is interesting that this modern day plague has come upon us at
this time. This is Easter week for Christians around the world.
Passover for the Jewish faith starts this week as well. The holy time of
Ramadan starts in a short time for Muslims. All of these traditions are
about taking time for reflection - a re-dedication to faith and rebirth of
Spirit. The Christian faith in particular celebrates the process and
promise of death overcome by resurrection. It is a “rising up” that
reveals a new consciousness – an evolution of Spirit.
Consider what has transpired in but a few days. The engines of business and commerce have
slowed to an idle. Instead of “doing”
being our focus, “not doing” has become our hopeful salvation. Will this be forever? On course not but what can we learn from this
forced “pause” in our lives?
I spoke with a friend who lives in Los Angeles a few days
ago. The main thing he noted about how
his city was being affected was that he had not seen the air so clear and fresh
in years. Taking a walk he found new
life thriving. Springtime always brings
a burst of new life but with fresher air and the decrease in human activity it
could flourish even more. All over the
world the reduction of human activity has produced encouraging
restorations.
Hong
Kong (CNN)Factories were shuttered and streets were cleared across
China's Hubei province as authorities ordered residents to stay home to stop
the spread of the coronavirus.
It seems the lockdown had an unintended benefit --
blue skies.
The average number of "good quality air
days" increased 21.5% in February, compared to the same period last year,
according to China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
And Hubei wasn't alone.
Satellite images released by NASA and the
European Space Agency show a dramatic reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions
-- those released by vehicles, power plants and industrial facilities -- in
major Chinese cities between January and February. The visible cloud of toxic
gas hanging over industrial powerhouses almost disappeared.
From the onetreeplanted.org
website:
Working From Home Means Fewer
Carbon Emissions
Now more than ever companies
are realizing that their business can stay afloat by allowing their employees
to work from home in order to keep everyone safe and healthy. A major plus to
working from home is that it is good for the environment! Decreasing carbon
emissions alone from the daily commute significantly improves air quality.
According to The Climate Group, working from home has the
potential to reduce over 300 MILLION tonnes of carbon emissions per year. Not
to mention all the other awesome benefits such as work/life balance and
decreased traffic congestion.
From clearer water in Venice – with dolphins even seen
swimming in the city’s famous canals - to blue skies in Beijing where poor air
quality is seen to be responsible for thousands of non-virus related deaths
each year. The benefits are obvious but
it will be soon all forgotten unless we can learn from the lesson that Mother Nature
has forced on us. Can we take the
challenge to our wellbeing as the opportunity it clearly makes evident?
Fortunately we are not experiencing an ecological development
from which it could take generations for us to restore “normal” life. We will have our lifestyle options returned
to us most probably in the near future as we develop our ability to control the
infection. The most important question
is whether we will learn from this experience and recognize the turning point
we are at.
From a religious and Spiritual point of view this has always
been a time of reflection and renewal.
This year we have been given more reason to do some deeper consideration
and an appraisal of what kind of future we want. Yes, I know that most all of us are just
praying that our lives will return to normal.
We want to vanquish the fears about everyone’s health and concerns about
our own financial stability. We are
desperate to restore our freedom and independence. Very few of us want to feel dependent on
others for our wellbeing. However, if
nothing else this experience is teaching all but the most arrogant among us
just how dependent upon each other we are.
This view is symptomatic of the backwards thinking that pervades our
individualist society.
What do I mean by this?
Our “social” organizations are mostly focused on “getting”. The inverse of this is a social organization
based on “giving”. Many people today believe
they are very giving. Many are. Some give as a “tithe” which is like paying a
fee for personal prosperity. Others
simply realize that sharing some of their abundance feels good and makes the
world a better place by reducing someone else’s misery. While it is usually not the intent of the
giver, those that are on the receiving end are often made to feel diminished
and less respected as human beings because of their failure to take care of
themselves. Particularly for someone who
has been one of the “successful” members of society, there is often a sense of
shame and defeat that comes with the change in fortune that a natural disaster
or a virus like we are experiencing results in.
Even with a massive effort by government to restore normalcy to our lives
it is quite possible the world will never be like what it was a few weeks
ago.
That can be a scary thought if you are not willing to take
the attitude that “our future unfolds with hope and joy”. One of the most valuable traits of the human
species is found in our ability to adapt to whatever reality we find ourselves in
and use our imagination and vision to find new paths into our future. I believe what we are currently experiencing
is the symptom of flaws in the current structure and a clear indication that is
time to reinvent ourselves and the way we live on this planet.
