I invite you to think out of the box with me for a few minutes. Beyond the obvious lack of leadership from the person who is supposed to be in charge of the country, what if there are other reasons why the corona virus is here? What if it has come to make people more aware of their actions and to help them become more conscious?
Sometimes life gets off track. People listen to bad advice. Perhaps their priorities became misaligned. Like the sign says in the window at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bennington, we need to “Put people first.” I think it is entirely possible that we need to restructure our priorities on a global scale.
The next time you spin with worry or fear, recognize, in that moment, that you have choice. Take a deep breath and shift gears to see the situation from a higher and wider perspective. Try not to see through the eyes of a mouse scurrying on the ground. Instead, look with eagle vision. The important thing to realize is that we need to take much better care of ourselves, each other and the entire planet.
Fortunately, what frequently happens in times of disaster is that people rise above and act from a much higher place, helping those they might not otherwise engage with. We become our better selves in times of crisis. Every once in a while, ask yourself “what am I not seeing?”
Now, to the Italians. On Friday, March 13th, I heard something on NPR that astounded me and brought me to tears. Despite having very severe restrictions placed on their movements, despite having over 17,000 cases of the corona virus and more than 1400 deaths, these amazing people fling their windows open and choose to uplift each other by singing songs of solidarity to rise above themselves, chaos and despair.
They have a depth that allows them to see something else; something different from what others see. These Italians seem to have an intimate relationship with Hope. And I would imagine that they live from their hearts. We can all learn from them.
Remember that all things are temporary; that life is full of change and that we have a great deal of choice every day! We can choose to shift gears and not be defeated by whatever comes. We can choose to see with new eyes. What if we didn’t wait for disasters, to become our highest and best selves? How would the world change, if we chose to live this way…every…single…day? Hmmm.