The Golden Opportunity that is COVID-19
It’s not what we expected, it’s not what we wanted… but can we all agree that COVID-19 might just be what we have collectively been asking for? Ok, just before you mentally slap me in the face, just hear me out! For the last few years, if not decades, there has been a yearning to have more time to connect with our kids, to finish off those jobs around the house, to do the inner work and, for the entrepreneurs: work on our business rather than in our business… yet here we are, clawing tooth and nail to get our old lives back, the stressed-out, overwhelming and un-fulfilling lives. Sure, a global pandemic is not the ideal format… or is it? Hold that slap, you haven’t finished hearing me out… here’s how I see it.
Nothing spells out UNITY like a global pandemic
Amongst us, there are those on the front lines, working so hard to care for the sick, many have died, lost loved ones, others have seen or are about to see their businesses fold. It’s not pretty and I feel deeply for all of these people but one thing that as come to light is that we are all in this together. A pandemic doesn’t care where you live, what car you drive, if you pay your taxes or if your eggs are free-range.
That said, I’d be willing to bet that you, reading this, are doing it from the comfort of your home, with running water and warm clothes and in a country that respects human rights… You and I may be uncomfortable right now and we probably still have some hiccups ahead, but in the long run, we are going to be ok, seriously.
“Unity is strength. Where there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved” _ Mattie Stepanek
So what do we do?
We do the best we can, right here and right now.
Challenging times are powerful portals for personal transformation. When we are forced to cut out a lot of distractions and get tackled into surrender, we get to know ourselves on a much deeper level. In our current situation of social distancing and self-isolation, we get to spend time with ourselves, forced to look inwards… and evaluate what is working and what is not. We cannot control what is going on out there, but we can gain control over our inner worlds.
We can no longer hide from ourselves. Some may take this opportunity to make positive changes in their lives. Others may have the time to honor their heart’s desire and get creative or do something fun, just for the sake of fun. Many will continue numbing their discomfort, but I trust there will come a point where they will have to take themselves on. The prolonged nature of this situation leans us towards self-exploration and I’m honestly excited to discover what individuals decide to do with this time.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” - Theodore Roosevelt
This may just be the most effective way to fix a broken world…
The way we’ve been living, it’s not working!
It’s horrific, really, when you truly open your eyes and see a society where parents get to experience how incredibly unique their children are, just to slot them into a “one-size-fits-all” education system.
We abuse our bodies and minds throughout our lives and then numb the symptoms of dis-ease that manifests from living in discord with our truth.
Individuals are feeling so much pressure and lack of connection that they are self-medicating with destructive behaviors, or going to the extent of taking their own lives to escape their reality.
The world we have created is broken. We are better than this… but most of us are not willing to do better until push comes to shove… so let’s consider this a big fat shove!
We know that nothing great emerges from comfort zones, but having a situation that invites us, simultaneously, to take personal responsibility for our experience, is a golden opportunity.
Am I an optimist? Yes, definitely! Am I naïve? Nope, I’m actually a realist. How so, you ask? Well, when I was younger, I didn’t believe in us as a species. I saw our actions and our fears in motion and had no respect for humanity in general. I looked at our history and how we interacted with one other and it made me incredibly sad and angry.
But over the past couple of years, I have been gifted a golden opportunity to see through those behaviors, see the pain and the anger that exists in each and every one of us. Most of all, it has given me the opportunity to see the truth of who we are. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that we are beautiful.
We are kind, we are loving, we are generous.
That is our true nature.
I have had the privilege to get to know individuals on a subconscious level and what I see takes many forms but is essentially always the same: I see free spirited children who grew up in a broken world, raised by people who didn’t know any better and so those children learned to fit in… fit into a broken world.
But we are not broken, you are not broken, the world is. So this is our golden opportunity, to fix the world by healing ourselves. This broken world is built on our illusion of separation, our lack of self-esteem, our perceived need to be like everyone else and seek external validation… it’s a never-ending game with no winners and I’m not playing anymore. What are you going to do?
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