Written by Stanley
A virus has spread quickly across the globe inciting a slew of terrible revelations about how humanity functions. The racist jokes citing other ethnicities as cleaner than others, the cancel culture that has all but eradicated brands and products that carry any type of connection to COVID-19 (i.e. corona beer, Chinese food, even Japanese food, etc!). The individualistic nature that is evident by the empty shelves at stores, and shuttered windows all in the name of health.
This is not to say act like nothing is happening. Because the fact of the matter is that there is a virus going around and we need to be even more aware of our surroundings in order to protect our physical selves. But our mental health and spiritual health are also linked to how our physical body functions. Stress causes our physical body to break down faster as it burns more energy preparing for the fight or flight response. What sustains our mental and spiritual health is joy, love, and connection.
I wager to say that the stress that is caused by the fear-mongering of viral posts (pun intended) does more harm than good. What can we do that is more than just reposting memes and alarming statistics. I’m sure as people spend more time inside their homes, social media usage has already increased. How can we use the resources at our fingertips to facilitate healing, growth, and love? How can we continue to connect and build thriving communities with each other?
Why is it that “emergency preparedness” for so many americans means to buy as many things as possible to remain in isolation for an extended period of time? As large events are being postponed, schools being closed, and jobs telling folks to not come in there many ways to ensure your whole community can be provided for. Buy your regular groceries. If you have extra, give them to your friends or family who might be considered at risk and who don’t have access to resources. Donate time and resources to your local food bank so that people can still provide for their families. Show compassion and give to the homeless. They may not have access to soap and clean water like most do. What can you do for them that will ensure that our streets stay safe for all? And friends, most importantly, love each other, call each other, facetime each other - this age of the internet and globalization gives us ample opportunity to still connect with each other. Because just as containing the virus is important, we also must contain our humanity.