Coronavirus is a worldwide obsession, and some might even say hysteria. Put into a difficult situation, perhaps even unable to leave our homes.
Many times when we look back on hard times, we find that they enabled us to grow in some way that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. Using that foresight or "present hindsight", what can we discover about our predicament?
Writing a symphony, a composer might introduce a handful of dissonant notes in a phrase. When you listen to that phrase alone, those notes sound awful. However, when you put the phrase in the context of the entire symphony, you can hear how those notes add to the melody.
Likewise, in our lives we have moments, days or months which seem agonising. With the benefit of time and context, we can see how those days were a beautiful and important part of our journey.
Being cooped up in your home will likely inspire people to reflect more on their lives.
A lot of people have been making jokes about how extroverts can now enjoy the discomfort that introverts have lived their entire lives. Previously an introvert was forced to interact with the world... Now extroverts are forced to be in their own company, alone, out of their element.
"Now you know how we feel ALL the time!" say the introverts.
The period of adjustment is difficult for the extroverts, but many will learn in one form or another, how to be more balanced human beings - how to find comfort in solitude.
Once you get past being restless, you might learn to be truly bored. And finally, you find some kind of peace.
Stepping outside for a moment, you might take a deep breath and notice... you've never seen the city look so clean!
When so many people smell that fresh air, it just might plant a seed - getting folks to wonder how the city could be like that all the time - riding their bikes more and finding ways to get more comfortable public transport.
With so many people reflecting, it's likely that many seeds will be planted.
My friend Mr. Battle used to say to me "Do you know why Mexican people love chilli so much? It's because you bite into that chilli and you are sucked into the moment." It's painful, but it's also enjoyable to be so present.
Likewise, when you receive a strike in your life, it brings you into the moment. You cannot simply retreat to your old patterns, because the problem presented to you is something novel. You must be aware, and that may well lead to being creative.
A lot of governments closed public schools or ordered children to stay at home. So children are learning using Khan Academy, looking up history videos on YouTube, even Coursera.org or Udemy.com.
Quickly they learn that self-directed learning is a lot more fun, and they find that schooling isn't strictly necessary, especially with the technology available to us today. In turn, this lessens the power of public school, and the state. Having the power to learn in your own hands, absorbing knowledge that they are passionate about... Once you know what it's like to hold that power, it's not easily relinquished.
Soon enough, people will realise that the threat was never as grave as the state and media portrayed. They will know that they have been deceived... A harsh lesson, a hard lesson, and if learned correctly, a fine lifelong lesson in discernment.
Once an initiate asked Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, what is the most important personal quality?
The Maharishi's response: "Discernment." To distinguish between what is important and what is not.
There isn't any lesson with quite the impact of receiving a terrible lie, believing it, and painfully realising that you were deceived.
In the past month I've been doing a lot of Facebook Live videos with the intention of calming the fear that's present all over the world. I hope you tune in, and I hope they bring you greater peace and perspective in your life.
