It’s impossible not to think about Covid-19. But let’s try.
It has been a damn tough few months here on planet earth. And will it get worse, better, stay the same? No one knows, no one can know. Anyone who purports to know is a liar. That’s obvious.
Lots of prognostications abound. Talking heads do what they do: talk. To paraphrase a common phrase… Talkers will talk talk talk.
And that’s all they can do. After a very short while, it gets more than boring. So I try to stop listening to them.
Getting Out
The natural world is so much more alive than politicians who talk, ignorant protesters who scream and yell, idealogues who, well, idealogue all day. I go outside, and the breeze is clear upon my face.
The garden awaits. We plant, water, weed, plan. Trim and harvest. Wonder at the glowing blossoms and the extending vines. Where I once recoiled at the way of life that worked the land, now I yearn daily for the opportunity to be present in the garden. It is where things are alive, and so too I.
The garden is a respite from the world of hate, anger, politics, commerce, finance, dealings, manipulation, hostility, wars, bombings, murders, traffic tickets, and the million other things that thing that is called civilization has brought upon us.
Finding what thrives and what does not in our little plot of land is to determine how the world works. Watching where the shadows fall and the sun shines is to know how to flourish and survive. Adding nourishment to the soil is to advance the state of generosity, and in its small way echoes the sun.
Humans
The reactions to the virus have thrust upon us a disorder that seems unprecedented. At least in a narrow view of modern times. I would say that there have been some events as damaging and as frightening as the virus if not more. The Great Depression comes to mind. Other pandemics. Wars. Revolutions. Earthquakes. Volcanoes. Floods. Landslides. All are cataclysmic by nature, and sweep away anything in its path. Just like the Great Depression changed the course of history, so too will the current virus crisis.
There are many who have been lost. As of this writing, U.S. deaths hover at about 80,000. Undoubtedly will surpass 100,000 and climb.
There are many who have been damaged. Unemployment is almost as bad as the Great Depression. Many activities that were once considered normal are nowhere to be found. Availability of many kinds of food is now questionable.
Do Not Be Discouraged
It is all to easy to despair. We are reminded that desperate people do desperate things. I can hope that rational heads prevail and corrective actions triumph.
Name your reaction. Comment here.
Japanese fireman’s coat, 19th century, is courtesy Seattle Art Museum. Firemen in Japan at that time included scenes of mythical stories in their garments.
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