SUNNYSIDE UP MOMENT - MAY 8, 2020

DAY FIFTY-THREE OF THE CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE FOR US AT STACK 'EM HIGH PANCAKES AND SO FORTH

Phase I Reopening in North Carolina begins this evening at 5 pm.  It is my understanding that the goal of this stage is to turn the faucet on to a trickle and watch where the numbers flow.  It is my expectation; however, that this stage will open the floodgates and drown any data or voices of concern.  We’ve been given an inch that some believe was unlawfully taken in the first place.  And many of those people have already gone a mile around the bend fueled by contempt and frustration.   

As we emerge into this emotionally charged climate, heated by the debilitating struggle between empirical evidence and hyped propaganda, we might find real value in leading with a cool head.  We might remember that doctors and scientists and volunteers are still navigating the torrent of Covid-19, because the storm is not over.  We might concede that every statistic in the blame game represents a human life that was disrupted, diseased or is now deceased.  That instance of pause alone just might frame our perspective or set our intentions straight as we enter the next phase.

Granted, a mountain of mistakes were made during the last months, and we are still climbing.  There should be and will be a time and a place to dissect and to discuss what happened and how we can improve our faculties to improve our future response.  But right now, maybe our energies might best be focused on healing each other and not hurting each other.  It is up to us to stem the tide of tension and divisiveness.  The inevitable ebb and flow of the coming weeks will demand the presence of our best selves.  The economic and social darkness of the pandemic has been gaslit throughout.  But the bright spot on the horizon can come from within us and guide us to calmer seas.  The Dalai Lama reminds us, “Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job.  It lies with each of us individually.  Peace for example, starts within each one of us.  Whenever we have inner peace we can be at peace with those around us.”  Peace is like a river leading to an ocean of love and a fountain of joy.  Let those waters flow free.  Let those words be a lamp to our feet.