Omicron Om

The pandemic is picking up again, and I’m anxious about it. I did a mantra meditation last night for 15–20 minutes. I used a youtube video of the Tayata Om, or the Medicine Buddha mantra.

Will it change the world? Will it prevent the spread of an aggressive disease? Probably not. A scared person in a bathtub mumbling words they don’t understand has probably never changed anything.

But basically, it’s all I can do. I can’t make people unsick, or to make choices that will keep them from getting sick. This is frustrating, especially considering that I see people embrace destructive ideologies which result in their death. I wish death on no one, and do not take pleasure in their loss. Herman Cain,hundreds of thousands in the US, and millions around the world didn’t need to die of a disease which has killed more people in the US in over 2 years than HIV/AIDS has over the course of 4 decades. This is mass suffering and death.

All I can do is my part, which I’ve done since 2020-wash hands, wear mask, which has become my chop wood, carry water. I got vaccinated as soon as I could, avoid crowds, and try to keep my excursions out of my home to essential things.

I’m still very anxious. I had a breakthrough case of coronavirus last month. All I have, really, is hope. However, hope is powerful. Hope can be action. As we move through the world, I hope everyone is safe, avoids sickness, and heals from their ailments. In this way suffering can be lessened.