This might seem counterintuitive, but I haven’t been this hopeful about life here on earth in a long time.
Please don’t misunderstand – I am fully aware people are dying from this virus; that families are struggling to make ends meet; that normal life has been disrupted in significant, sometimes tragic, ways. I’m talking about the big picture. The long haul of our society. I see much to be grateful for and encouraged by.
This is not the beginning of a worldwide illness. This is the beginning of a time of healing.
The more pervasive and destructive illnesses of our time have been the expanding divisiveness, the growing distrust, the spread of fearfulness. What we are now seeing is a return to cooperation, recognition of truth, the reemergence of courage. These are the antidotes for a society that had become sick.
Look around you. Look at the amazing things we are accomplishing:
We have returned to thinking about the greater good.
People are learning that money is indeed not everything.
Businesses and individuals are making sacrifices for the benefit of society.
Families are coming together and enjoying shared activities at home.
People have been prompted to slow down, simplify, and live more in the moment.
People are reaching out to help others.
These things are happening because we have a common concern that transcends the lines dividing us. Crises sometimes bring out the worst, but more often bring out the best in us.
Did you see the video of Italians on their balconies, sharing song together? Have you noticed the increasing kindness and expressions of encouragement on social media? Did you read the news about cleaner air and water because fewer people are out scurrying about?
Fred Rogers once said to look for the helpers. I’m having a harder time finding those who are NOT helping.
Yes, there is anxiety, there is uncertainty, there was hoarding. Yes, we need to take this seriously. But the fact we ARE taking it seriously and pulling together to not just save ourselves, but to help save others should not be overlooked. This speaks well of us.
I’m a cynical person. If I have hope, so should you. By being forced apart, we are coming together.
We humans are deeply flawed. But we can also be magnificent. We underestimate our capability to exceed the normal demands of our lives. It’s the everyday challenges that wear us down and encourage bad habits and irrational fears. But once shaken from these routine concerns and unhealthy patterns, a better human often emerges. Something deep inside works its way to the surface and pushes aside those worries and fears and, like a Phoenix, takes flight in our spirits and sends us to greater heights of ability. Heights where kindness and courage are found. Where compassion and sacrifice and wisdom abound. It is in this rarefied air where humans reach their potential. And it’s a beautiful sight to behold.
So, let us learn well from this hard lesson. May we continue to live our lives in a manner that puts into practice the knowledge the lesson has imparted. The healing has already begun. The challenge will be to maintain our societal health - to develop an immunity to the divisiveness, the misplaced distrust, to the fear.
I am confident we will emerge stronger and better. Courage, hope, and faith in ourselves, in life, and in tomorrow will get us there. So, let us be brave. Let us be magnificent together.