My #1 Life Lesson Learned after Just One Week of the World on Fire
Operation C.O.V.I.D (Causing Other Volatility In Disguise).
I actually really tried resisting to use any word, term or phrase in the title of this post that has been used incessantly to describe the current situation across the globe.
Because quite frankly I’m tired already and it’s just not helpful.
Please Don’t Get Me Wrong — This is Just My Opinion
While I certainly don’t take actual sickness and death of people lightly, I will say that the overwhelming and non-stop coverage of what is happening has caused me to truly step back and assess what’s truly happening.
In the first week of the mayhem, I noticed many slap happy writers and eager journalists who took to Medium and any news feed that would say yes to their submissions without first considering their participatory impact.
Of course, as a writer, I get it. We all want to be the first to speak on this or report on that in efforts to capitalize on the available platforms that promise dividends of trending fame and public recognition.
Yet, I question the knee-jerk reactions and plethora of content that was dumped into the pipeline of our already overloaded social mediums.
This type of activity only further solidifies the effect of jumping into a fire with additional fuel and wood. It doesn’t help diminish it but only encourages it to get hotter.
Thus, in my opinion, every time we mention the “c” word we give more power to it.
A Revelation That Has Me Thinking
Hear me out.
Because I can already hear the health activists and such rebutting me already.
One of the revelations that occurred to me during this hour of reflection is how heightened awareness has never been the sole solution in eradicating an epidemic.
Think about all of our human efforts to erase or end something:
- Poverty
- Racism
- Gender Pay Gap
- Cancer
- AIDS
- Gun Violence
- Sex Trafficking
- Drunk Driving
The list is literally endless.
How many of these societal issues that are destroying us in droves have decreased or arrived full stop due to heightened awareness?
Zero.
In fact, I’d argue they have actually increased and consequently confirmed Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity which states:
(1) Objects in motion (or at rest) remain in motion (or at rest) unless an external force imposes change.
(2) Force is equal to the change in momentum per change of time. For a constant mass, force equals mass times acceleration.
(3) For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Yep good ole science theory even substantiates this line of reasoning.
Again, please understand the point I am trying to make. As I do see a place and need for some level of awareness, yet it is the fear-based heightened awareness that I’m predominantly referring to.
So Who’s Driving Who?
Are we truly being helpful citizens or furthering what could possibly be premeditated propaganda.
Yes, I said it.
Propaganda.
It comes in all shapes and sizes.
Just like bias — there is both intentional (conscious) and unintentional (unconscious). Many of us have not even stopped to consider which one we are doing when we make a post, send a text, or re-tweet a statement.
We are simply reacting hastily.
What would happen though if we all just took a step back for a second and had a moment of silence? What would happen if we went about our day without giving this thing any more heightened awareness?
Could the silence actually be the step towards cessation? Or does that just sound way too ludicrous to consider, because you know, we have to wait until we’re told (by the media) that everything is all clear.
Life Lesson Learned In the Midst of It All
As you ponder that previous food for thought, I would like to switch gears a bit and share a more personal revelation or should I say life lesson that I discovered this week.
Like millions of others across the globe — I had travel plans.
Now, these plans were not your fly by night weekend stay a few hours away but a two-week trip to the Mediterranean. A trip that was thoroughly planned (and paid) out — for the past 10 months.
And as an avid traveler, I enjoy planning out my own accommodations and searching for the best way to map out and maximize exploration. This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that was intricately planned out. So much so, there was even a spreadsheet to detail every meticulous travel item to secure to keep me and my traveling partner up to date so that we could depart debt-free.
Sadly though, as the news began to break about the rolling travel bans I saw my long arduous work quickly crumble before my eyes.
Flight suspended.
As the inevitable reared its ugly head to the surface, I instantly found myself spiraling into a tailspin of emotions related to death and bereavement.
Anger, bargaining, denial, acceptance.
The anger came rushing in first as I internally pointed fingers at the economic greed that caused this whole global episode to ensue in the first place. Selfish thoughts of people-hating and systemic institutions I wanted destroyed flooded in without much effort.
This of course was followed by a litany of frustrations with God and life with questions like:
- Why now?
- Why does this have to ruin my trip?
- Don’t you know how much I’ve been through God? This is the ONE thing I’ve been waiting for. It’s the one thing that’s kept me pushing forward with something to look forward to and now I can’t have it??
- Why does life have to suck so much??
This barrage of questions, tears and deep emotive feelings took me out for several hours after hearing the news of my suspended flight.
Then Somehow I Took a Turn
After the cloudiness of the initial weight of the news processed, a few new thoughts downloaded into my mind, soul and spirit.
- Put in a back-up plan (i.e. — find somewhere else to go)
- Put in another back-up plan if that plan falls through
- If both back-up plans fail then you will have to make do this year and make it a priority to rev up the travel once things are back up to speed. Because it is evident that you need to live your life now!
While these thoughts might have easily come to someone else’s mind, the thoughts for me took a while to process due to my personal attachment and passion for travel.
But Here’s Where It All Comes Together
Now the life lesson learned became apparent roughly 36 hours after the personal meltdown occurred.
As I was catching up with a dear colleague of mine who works as a hospital chaplain, I was speaking with him about how he was handling the current climate. He mentioned to me that he has predominantly had to provide spiritual care for morale and life issues which have risen to the surface during this crisis. He specifically mentioned a young female nurse who had broken up with her boyfriend of a few years who just simply broke down in tears on the job.
After he mentioned this to me the light bulb went off.
I realized that while operation “c” is of concern to people, it’s really just a high-level issue that has caused much deeper issues to surface from what has been lying dormant and/or building for quite some time.
Don’t get me wrong, while I was really upset about the trip I booked but could no longer take, what I was really upset about was the underlying position I felt about in life.
That I wasn’t getting what I wanted and I hadn’t been for quite some time.
Operation “c” was (and is) the straw that broke the camel’s back.
It was for me and I can only imagine it is for many others out there who are now faced with very real emotive responses to life’s abrupt confrontation. The conflict doesn’t just dissipate with the acceptance of the trending phrase of “the new normal,” but it festers.
That is until it is dealt with head on.
The battle is real. Make no mistake there is an uphill fight we are all facing. But I believe we can do ourselves a solid by doing two things:
- Checking our participatory social impact
- Working through our own personal spiritual, mental and emotional responses to the situation at hand by becoming more self-aware
What are your lessons learned? I would love to hear it in the comments below!
