Re: Uncertainty, Solidarity and Hope
Hey, Medea. Thanks for the sharing.
I understand how you felt confused about the “time lag” in the preparedness of the society while you already noticed what’s going to happen.
I was throwing back on how things around me have changed.
I found the text I send to my mom and sister in Japan in late February saying, “I saw many events cancelled in Japan. But, is the coronavirus stuff really going around??”
How much I sounded carefree back then.
The situations in these two places look almost inverted within 2 weeks or so. The stats of epidemic in Germany has surpassed Japan, and now I am living in quarantine, being astonished by how Japan hesitates to take the robust measures. My mom still makes a commute to the office in Tokyo being packed on a train.
Before we get into “New normal”…
It has been a month since I stopped working and started to stay at home in the West of Berlin. People in the town seem to get used to quarantine. We start to face the mundane concerns like reduced income and continuous payments, and we are kind of getting bored.
And, while the social distancing rule has become a principle, we came to have this habit to watch or sense each other, not in a relaxed way. A person may no longer be sensible once he/she sneeze or cough on the streets. Some people express disgust when others did not act with the same level of cautiousness as theirs.
In the last article, I talked that social distancing rule is interpreted as if we should avoid overall human interactions. We may lose a chance to be kind to others and feeling connected to bear the hard time.
I assume the situation now could divide people even more and make us afraid of each other.
It has been the age of fear and loneliness
Fear was once an important instinct to avoid danger and let us survive.
Since humanity started to build little empires here and there, it has become the greatest factor of the conflicts.
In modern times, we have various triggers of fear in daily lives.
Fear of losing control, making mistakes, being unsure, feeling inferior…and above all, we fear for being lonely.
While we have come to enjoy individual freedom, it has been difficult to keep the sense of togetherness. Now, people are becoming more and more lonely in crowds.
What is scarier is that we are sometimes unable to sense the fear within, because it is very subtle and deep. We tend to numb it by being firm to ourselves or aggressive towards the others.
We want to feel right about ourselves instead of acknowledging fear, so we try to eliminate the causes that make us unsure.
And, in this time, perhaps because we have plenty more time to worry about little things, our aggressiveness can be activated towards every detail, such as what others post on the SNS, or how a person in front of you doesn’t stand a bit more forward in a queue for a supermarket.
“Have the right fear.”
I hear someone said. And I agree.
I fear the division of humanity and that many disputes for the “rightness”, which makes us feel good about ourselves, may happen.
We have to be aware that actual threats are to the survival of whole human species.
It is getting clear that we stand on a tipping point on how we want to live the next decades, or do not live at all.
What kind of future do we what to see?
Definitely not the one with fears and sufferings.
Let’s start a little revolution of how you see the reality.
This is an exciting opportunity that you can be a bit braver than before.
Start with putting a bit more of good intention on the things you are already doing;
Look into the eyes of people.
Ask “How are you?” or “Alright?” and mean it.
If you feel something wrong, speak up. Whatever it is.
Smile to people when you feel happy.
Don’t worry about how they would think.
Let’s be the ones who can release the tension by showing a little care for the others.
Because we all don’t know what is right, it is okay to make mistakes. When you made a mistake, just be sure to acknowledge it.
And, more importantly, take care of your feelings!
Let yourself know that it is totally okay to be upset, offended, jealous, angry, or sad for little things.
Some easy tips;
-Take a deep breath sometimes.
-Try putting your hand on your heart.
-Looking into the mirror more often. You can also talk to yourself if you feel to.
-Feel where is the tension in your body when you walk/cook/write/read, and release.
-Try massaging your feet or shoulder.
And the list goes on.
Let me remind us what Michael told us,
“If you want to make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change”
-Michael Jackson, Man in the Mirror
Our collective mental states can change things, more profoundly than you would think.
