The Pandemic Is a Mirror

Here are some life lessons from the minds of people in my social sphere since COVID-19 got started:

• Family is all you have, and therefore is the most important facet of life
• The virus is proof that Nature is strong and will counterbalance our efforts to destroy it
• Some foreign entity is using the virus to its own advantage against us
• Nothing about this will affect me or those I care about if left to run its course
• Actions by the government to stop the spread are an imposition on my freedom
• Political ideology X is the best, and this proves it
• These events are a vindication of the 'prepper' lifestyle of stocking up on goods and living most of life in the house, ready for anything
• The world is exactly what we make it to be. If bad things happen, it is due to our inaction, ineffectiveness, and cowardice. Nothing related to our culture is a result of providence, and its not 'going to be alright' unless we make it so
• ...etc.

The one commonality in all of these viewpoints about COVID-19? These were the general opinions these people had before anything ever happened--but now everyone is even more sure that what they believe is correct. Myself included!

This pandemic is a mirror to one's own worldview. Some may learn from the events we're all going through right now and come away changed, but it is more likely that even when confronted with unexpected death, people translate their experiences in light of whatever they thought before. Even if the beliefs we hold happen to be correct, in a way it is lamentable that this should be true. It suggests that we don't learn new ways of seeing the world despite large, upheaval inducing events. This might be the case; if so, minds are changed in small, continual moments, and as the adage says, character is revealed in crisis.

Crisis is here, and it is revealing. The best among us are coming out to face it proactively, looking to contribute to the well-being of the whole. The worst reveal their static views and desires as paramount. Sometimes its surprising to see who ends up in which group--but do take note. The people who resonate with you now are worth hanging onto in the future.

Use this crisis for the opportunity it provides to look inward at your own values. Observe your thoughts in some way. What are the contents of your consciousness? How do you feel? What you believe in quiet moments are likely the same things that you act out in the presence of others. Do these thoughts and feelings reflect the person you want to be?

Awareness is the only way to reinforce the desirable and change the undesirable. While the opportunity for introspection always exists, it is easier now that we face a common dangerous event. We can all seek to understand and to challenge our sense of rectitude, which is the only way that change is possible.