Self-retrospection during COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 epidemic has changed the world as we know it. There is so much information out there regarding the coronavirus that we are risking infodemic, which could put much more burden on an already strained system.

This experience has exposed our vulnerability as human beings. It has woken up the tigers of unresolved issues. It is changing the way we look at ourselves, others, and the cosmos. Our value systems are being shaken, our beliefs are put to the test, our existence is on the spotlight.

We are experiencing losses much more than ever before (Ghillihan Seth). We have lost our sense of security. This can trigger stress and emotional discomfort. Other people could be experiencing anxiety. What sense of security do you feel has been lost in your life?

Another loss is the physical presence of others. This is something we often take for granted, but now that it is not there, we appreciate how important it is. In times like these, we usually build on other people`s presence because it brings comfort.

Many of us had plans, some of us had full calendars – mine was booked up until September. All this is no longer the case, so we have lost a sense of our future as we had planned it. There are many things we were looking forward to. My son was meant to sit for his final junior high school exam. That did not and will not happen. Our future has been changed. We no longer have any control of what will happen.

Above all the losses, we have lost our sense of physical freedom. Confinement for many has become extremely difficult to deal with. It has woken up many tigers in form of unhealed past experiences. Freedom is our basic right – and we often take it for granted. In fact, being imprisoned has been the worst nightmare for many people – your freedom of choice is curtailed, you cannot go where you want without second thoughts. Before, I was free to hop onto a plane and go wherever I wanted, but now, borders have been shut down, decrees have been issued against travel, and if I want to go for grocery shopping, I have to fill in a form that indicates my identity, where I am going, for what reason, and when I am scheduled to return. I have to prove that.

All these and many other losses are bound to touch us to the core.

However, there is one thing that we have not lost – our capacity to choose how to respond to these losses. This, to me, is the most precious gift we have. The losses above have given way to other gains:

• We are staying at home with our families
• We are revisiting things we have postponed for lack of time
• We are noticing each other and talking with each other
• We are resting enough
• We are becoming very creative with our time and in our work
• We are reaching out to those we may not have spoken with in a long time
• We are learning new ways of being with each other
• We are appreciating what physical freedom really is
• We are feeling united as a world
• We are not in control, we are not God. We now know our place. Something like a virus can paralyze our universe
• Our earth is breathing, because there is less pollution and nature is repairing itself.

We need to accept this crisis. We have choices, we are not powerless. There are things we have control over, and others we don`t. We want to thrive in this crisis. We have what it takes. We have been created little less than gods (Psalm 8) and so we have the divine in us. We can control how we respond to this situation. We can control our thoughts, which in turn will give rise to new feelings, that inspire our behavior and attitude. This will enhance the power we have over the situation. This leads to creativity, and proactivity, as opposed to reactivity.

What can we learn from this experience?  Take time to reflect on the lessons you are learning.

We need to hold the vision and not the circumstances (Mary Morrisey) – we cannot control the circumstances, but we can control what our vision is.

We are powerful beyond measure – our playing small or victim doesn’t serve us and less the world (Nelson Mandela).

What positive things are we experiencing in this period? Let us concentrate on that, since what we pay attention to magnifies. Let us remember that emotions can be more contagious than the virus, and so we each play our part and avoid plunging ourselves and others into oblivion.

This pandemic will remain etched in our memory, and therefore, let us choose the memory we want to keep: this could be used as a wonderful opportunity to go within and gain clarity on what we value most and how we wish to spend any remaining days we are blessed with (Ben Kim).

This experience will pass, but we need to ask ourselves what will remain.

And with Julian of Norwich, we sing: “All shall be well again, I know!”

Please share your thoughts below. Let`s support each other and work towards fullness of life, for spirituality has to do with fullness of life.

We need to let go of all those historical chains that condition us: resentments, regrets, fears, etc. We are worthy of being free. Once we know the truth, the truth indeed sets us free, said Jesus!