Aldous Huxley

Little unknown by now; and by the same token, much uncertainty. Whether or not one chooses to take things seriousy, the planet is in the grip of a worldwide pandemic due to COVID-19.

Consider when one starts a new activity, athletic or otherwise; sprinting, driving, drawing, painting, etc..all your ”weak spots” feel extra vulnerable as they must be strengthened, since they have not been thus challenged. Patients who contract illnesses where they become immunocompromised often report of ”flare-up pain and tenderness” in areas corresponding with previous injuries. In other words, a new situation, whatever the degree of tragedy, whether voluntary or not, whether self-imposed or not, highlights were we are weakest, and, however painful, is an opportunity for growth and improvement.

One can hold on the the little twig keeping us afloat to the point where one adamantly refuses rescue (See the story of the raft, by The Buddha), or one can use the twig to stabilise, improve, adapt, build a raft, and rescue others; become like Noah!

Every facet of our society proved wanting (even beyond what most people already believed), to varying degrees; the economy, the political landscape, the police/law enforcement agencies, the housing system, agriculture, entertainment, eduction system, healthcare, etc…

No longer can people deny the effects of human involvement in (accelerated) climate change; the planet was breathing better after 6 weeks. No longer can we claim schools and the workplace are family-friendly; over ten million kids in America alone rely entirely on school for meals (let alone many other countries, better and worse). No more denying that the economy is superficially viable and profoundly unjust at its very roots; it took 8 weeks to reach Great Depression levels of damage.

Nobody can argue that ”the governments of the world would NEVER synchronise any single activity!”; they did so overnight when cornered.

History has shown us that people refuse the status quo when their bread and families (children) are taken from them. We are reaching that point faster every day; after 10 weeks or so into the lockdown people complained of freedoms being taken away.

The point being, like an immunocompromised patient, we have been ill for a while, but now our aches are flaring up, and it turns out we have, as a society, many weak spots. Some would say all our spots are weak; it is only a question of HOW weak. This is ongoing practical proof that everything must needs be changed. Nobody and nothing is exempt or spared. Ironically, what is separating us by social/physical distancing aught to bring us closer in the long run. We cannot deny that more unites than divides us, and we have more in common than otherwise. Things shall no doubt get worse before they get better, but they shall get better.

Pressure builds diamonds, true; but once a diamond, you must make a difference, and help carve other diamonds, cut glass, etc… A certain degree of pressure is needed to grow, and a certain degree of stability is needed to exercise growth. A cursory look at many (not all) great minds of people who have achieved some degree of notoriety in technology, sports, science, art, etc.. shows that for all their hardwork and sacrifice, they had some degree of stability; Bill Gates could sit and code 18 hours a day and drink sodas and drop-out of Harvard because both his parents were professionals, and he could focus and work hard and get fruits of his efforts. Mozart grew up in a financially reliable home (He had financial challenges later on of course). Several Nobel laureates had parents who themselves were researchers, and academics. Sure you have orphans and outliers who achieved greatness, but, as aforementioned, there is always a measure of stability. There is a reason societies that have stability can care more about the environment; for every 5,000 USD of GDP the environment proves more important to the denizens of a given nation, we are told.

Stability is what we must achieve as a society; as a culture. We had it superficially, and the pandemic is showing us just that; it was superficial. The illusion of togetherness, accentuated by distractions. And once these distractions were taken away, divorce, child abuse, domestic violence, etc., increased, since the connection was superficial.

Here is a chance to achieve real stability. It does not have to be full lockdown for eternity, or violation of the planet, for instance. A golden middle way of stability, tempered by planning for a better tomorrow, is to be achieved. And the world is showing us this by all these ”flare-ups” in our very many weak spots. Things shall be strained, and tested, and there will be pain. But the angels of our better nature shall prevail.

This is not naive optimism, anymore than a physician treating a patient can be accused of the same. This is realism, tempered by hope, and sobered by experience; recognising that we are in a world of pain, but as many communities do well at a micro level, we can do same at a macro level-we already showed decent synchrony with regards to locking down in itself 🙂

Now, what follows? As the caption states; personal stability is needed before societal stability. And this comes with, as cliché as it may sound, morality, and order in one’s own personal life. Then the ripple-effect shall follow. The world will not be the same, given the economic, political, environmental ripple-effect of all this; not to mention the actual loss of human life. And nothing is over, as of this writing moment, yet. But, we can create our own ripple-effect. Make a difference in our own lives daily, and do our own best morally, and create stability for ourselves and those around us; be the shoulder to cry on instead of crying on a shoulder (after you have cried your piece, should you need to!)

At a macro-level, whatever happens, and however worse things may or may not get, we shall overcome and this too shall pass.

God bless.