I see everyone trying to get back to normal. I understand why but I don’t think we can. We don’t have a vaccine for this virus and medicine doesn’t have answers yet to prevent or control it.
This virus has impacted all of us. Many people have lost work or work has been placed on hold. Some companies are going out of business and small businesses have taken a hit that I have never seen in my lifetime.
All that said, the virus is also teaching us. For all the people that ran with their children from soccer games to language class and onto something else, they are learning how to slow down. I’d say some people didn’t even know their kids.
The planet had some days of quiet time. In New York, a researcher from NYU found that over the past few years, 29 of the most quiet days came from this virus time.
We discovered holes and weakness in our medical system that need to be resolved before we forget how bad it was or how bad it can be.
We have seen clean air in countries like India that we haven’t seen for many years.
The whole world is impacted. This wasn’t one region. What is interesting to me is the lack of unity through this whole situation. Countries are acting like people waiting in line for gas 5 days after a hurricane. We as nation didn’t protect ourselves when we saw the virus trickle in either.
For a moment, I thought the world would come together for a common cause but now, it is pretty clear to me if aliens come to take over, we won’t have an “Independence Day” scenario. Instead, we will have politicians trying to negotiate terms of the end of humanity under the condition of their own personal survival. You know, its sad but at the same time, it is good to know. Corona teaches us a lot about our hidden selves. We are still animals just looking for food and water.
The virus also opened our eyes to the possibility of a basic income standard for people in need.
The virus is hopefully opening your eyes as well.
IF you are aware. The question now is .. what is next?
We are dinosaurs –
Start
Here is something to consider. The earth is not in our hands, we are here relatively an event away from extinction. The earth and the universe can take us in a moments notice and we wouldn’t even be a speck of dust on the universal map. We think to much of ourselves and we get lost in the minutia of our own world view.
I know a few people who perceive the world and her people as avatars which reside in their world view. It seems to me (and maybe I am wrong) that many people have come to see the world through this individualistic lens. If we continue down this path, our end is near. There won’t be a future for us because we will consume it without care. How? It’s like the oil and gas executive of the 1950’s saying “we’ll figure it out later” and now is later. What I am saying is that our “later” is someone’s “now” in the future. History teaches us that we don’t learn from it. How can I say that? History. While some people recognize history and learn from it, most people ignore it. That is why ancient books of humanity apply today. I recognize that some folks try to learn from history and I am not saying that we haven’t learned anything. Is the world better than it was 100 years ago? Is the world better than 1000 years ago? Why does biblical scripture still apply to modern day humanity and modern day concepts?
Let me put it this way… something 125 nm (0.125 microns) is killing and infecting our global population and many of us are worried about not being able to eat out at a restaurant.
I don’t think there is much individually we can do about it either. I am not saying that it’s impossible to do something about it, I am saying “not likely.” There is nothing wrong with that either. I am not looking to take away anything from anyone, I am just sayin. If I wanted to go back into military, it is “not likely”, probably close to impossible but not impossible. I see this as the same thing. For me the question is more about what I can do personally. What can I do?
If I am in a hurricane gas station situation, I’ll move out of the way so the people who are in a panic can have their gas. Maybe I’d opt for another option like solar power since most people in their panic would be heading for fuel. I think this is sort of the way we need to approach things.
Stay awake, be kind, be creative, be prepared and be realistic. Help people where we can and let all the people who are afraid they will run out of toilet paper grab it all from Walmart while we just get it from Staples (b/c it was there and many people had no idea).
We should protect ourselves and our families but not get tangled up with “the dumb.” My message is stay true to yourself, your own personal intention and protection. Stay cool and understand what you can and can’t control and do good with anything you can from action to action. It will impact you positively day to day and hopefully some others.
Lesson’s from Corona.. I think we still have more to learn!
The Cohenization Project 
Thanks for these words of thoughtful insight to ponder and act upon.
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As always, great writing, Howie.
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Howie, this virus has also taught us how quickly we can lose our liberties to petty political tyrants under the guise of public health. Great writing as always.
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Timely quoting Richard Rohr to your thoughts Howie:
“Natural things like animals, plants, rocks, and clouds give glory to God just by being themselves, just what God created them to be. It is only we humans who have been given the free will to choose not to be what God created us to be. Surprisingly, the environmentalist and author Bill McKibben finds hope in this unique freedom. He writes:
The most curious of all . . . lives are the human ones, because we can destroy, but also because we can decide not to destroy. The turtle does what she does, and magnificently. She can’t not do it, though, any more than the beaver can decide to take a break from building dams or the bee from making honey. But if the bird’s special gift is flight, ours is the possibility of restraint. We are the only creature who can decide not to do something we are capable of doing. That is our superpower, even if we exercise it too rarely.
So, yes, we can wreck the Earth as we have known it, killing vast numbers of ourselves and wiping out entire swaths of other life—in fact . . . we are doing that right now. But we can also not do that.
We have the tools (nonviolence chief among them) to allow us to stand up to the powerful and the reckless, and we have the fundamental idea of human solidarity that we could take as our guide.
Another name for human solidarity is love, and when I think about our world in its present form, that is what overwhelms me. The human love that works to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, the love that comes together in defense of sea turtles and sea ice and of all else around us that is good. The love that lets each of us see we are not the most important thing on earth and makes us okay with that.”
What does individuality in our modern world do for this solidarity? I agree with you Howie, we seemed to focus inward to our needs at the expense of the rest of creation. Maybe someday, we will wake up and realize that our every action either gives love or destroys. It is a choice! But first we must be aware we have this choice.
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