Why Now Covid-19? What Are You Doing Here?
Viruses have always existed. In fact, there are some researchers who believe that they were the first form of life. Viruses can’t reproduce on their own, but need a host within which to do so. They are totally hidden from us until we experience their presence in our bodies. So why is this miniscule, but powerful, little Coronavirus appearing now?
To think about this, we have to know something about nature, such as that it is altruistic, balanced and harmonious, and its most basic law is unity. But mankind? Not so much. The thing about these qualities of nature is that they are laws, and because we humans are part of nature, we are subject to those laws.
One of the follies of mankind is to consider any kind of crisis a one-time occurrence. It rarely is. Coronavirus is simply one more event in a series of red alerts from nature trying to get our attention. We have moved so far out of alignment with nature’s laws that unity is being replaced by widespread separation and if we don’t reestablish—among ourselves—that natural unity, nature will.
We all have some measure of alarm about increasing natural disasters, but so far, they have not caused a widespread change in life as usual. People in specific geographic areas are affected, and there are spurts of connection and of care for our fellow man that occur when relief money pours in from around the world, but this spirit empathy and connection easily dies out when the news cycle closes.
Nature, however, has figured out how to raise the stakes. Silently and sneakily COVID-19 found a host and began its lightning-swift migration around the globe. There were no floods or tornados or volcanic eruptions, things we can see and avoid or prepare for because it is not a phenomenon of nature that is outside of us. Coronavirus seeks residence inside of us, inside our very bodies. We can’t see it, so we don’t know exactly where it is. We don’t know if it is inside us until two weeks or so days after its invasion.
This event is global, not constrained by the natural limits of blizzards and hurricanes. It is teeny-tiny, invisible, leaving no wake or disturbance in the atmosphere. It can strike anyone, anywhere and at any time. Coronovirus has no favorites. Each of us, regardless of social status, skin color or age feels vulnerable and helpless and frightened.
The irony here is when nature is trying to show us that unity is what we need, governments are saying otherwise. The most effective approach to this sneaky little intruder is containment, not treatment, so we are forcibly being separated from each other in a strategy being called social distancing. We are being removed from the very structure of our lives—work, school, churches, concerts, travel, sports events, restaurants, movie theaters, shopping malls, maybe even family and friends. And from this isolated state, we watch the impact of growing separation on our society and we begin to comprehend how connected to each other we really are. Nature is wily.
The thing that strikes me very deeply is that the fact that COVID-19 can exist only inside us. We are meant to embody it, by being infected or by the required actions to avoid it, thus we must embody the message nature is forcing on us. The solution for avoiding yet another, much more devastating alarm from nature lies in the inner changes that we are willing to make. The significance of the immediate and rapid economic decline related to Coronavirus cannot be ignored because it represents a destruction of the worst in mankind—the lust for wealth and power above all else. Nature is speaking to us.
Will the duration of this pandemic last long enough for us to embody a new way of thinking and feeling? There! I’ve said it, that maybe an extended siege would be in our best interest, because we are beginning to see a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. Efforts to assist others to fulfill their basic needs, especially for those who are at high risk, are multiplying. There is a sort of “we’re in this together” feeling emerging as we unite around the simple actions of hand-washing and cleaning surfaces. This desire to connect with and serve others is inside all of us and the thing awakening it is our separation. Imagine that!
There is almost a certainty that we will emerge out of this pandemic into a new reality of life on planet earth. The bedrock on which we build our societies will determine mankind’s future. If the priority is rebuilding the economy and the me, me, me culture we have created, nature will notice. If the priority is to create a world that is connected and harmonious, nature will notice. And nature will respond accordingly.
My plea to all of you is to think about this. You have the time now to do it because the whole world is slowing down. What inner changes are happening inside you as the reality of this virus’s strength dawns on society? Consider that if each of us is focused on the well-being of others, then every other person is concerned about each one of us. This is called a state of Mutual Responsibility, an inner state that spurs outer actions, guaranteeing a society that is altruistic, balanced and harmonious. This is a society that is in total alignment with nature’s laws, and nature will notice this also.
