COVID-19 Update: Personal Resilience in the Face of Tragedy

In yesterday's post, I shared the 4-Part Shelter In Place Meditation from the Ten Percent Happier website.

Several of you responded favorably, thanking me for the post.

I find that many are responding to the pandemic in positive ways, choosing to turn this into a time of personal growth.  So much of our identity comes from our work, from being busy, and for many that's come to a screeching halt. 

Many of us are not accustomed to sitting still, to not being distracted by work and social gatherings; hence, this forced pause is unsettling. 

And in that unsettling, comes the opportunity for growth and change.

I found myself thinking that the virus was some sort of gift, in that it was peeling back layers of distraction, allowing us to see more clearly what matters. 

This "silver lining" way of thinking showed up on Earth Day this past Wednesday, the observation that the planet is on respite from pollution during the global shutdown.

When I said something out loud to that effect, my dear friend, Chris V., who lives in Bay Creek with his wife and family, would have none of it.  

The suffering is simply too great, too profound, and in no way a counterbalance to the tragedy before us.

He's right, of course.  Too many have lost jobs and livelihoods. Too much loss of life.

Yesterday's NYT had an article about the impact of the pandemic on the world's poor, raising the specter of starvation in multiple parts of the world -- 'Instead of Coronavirus, the Hunger Will Kill Us.' A Global Food Crisis Looms.

As the virus spreads to places like Haiti, a place dear to my heart, the devastation will be unfathomable and inescapable.

I don't share this to bring you down on an already gloomy day.  It's just me thinking out loud.

It may be that I can view this tragedy as a gift in terms of how I choose to respond to it, allowing it to deepen me.  And as it does, my capacity for compassion and empathy for the poorest among us deepens too.

In other words, if I respond positively, I'm not just more individually resilient, but I've become more attuned to the sufferings of others and more equipped to help out those in need.

And that's a better place for all of us to be.

Have a peaceful weekend. 

Be safe. Be well. Be kind.

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