what if the covid-19 crisis is a wake up call?

When this crisis first began, I thought: “Oh no! We are forced to be even more isolated now! And live in more fear!”

I see symbolic meaning and messages in all that happens to us. I believe that there is a valuable lesson in everything we experience—good or bad. But I couldn’t believe that the lesson, or the message of the coronavirus crisis is to disconnect even more than we currently are! I sat in confusion and disbelief, unable to make sense of all this.

Meanwhile travel was banned and countries were closing. Live events and fun gatherings were cancelled left and right—the bachata bootcamp I signed up for, the comedy show I looked forward to see, the retreats I was excited about. Friends and acquaintances decided to hide into their homes, under self-imposed house arrest. 

Yes, this is a serious problem that needs attention. But I kept wondering: why is it happening? On the surface it seemed like an attack or a punishment to humanity.

But I believe that everything happens for a reason, and the reason is always good. I believe that the Universe is for us and not against us. And I knew that there is no way that more isolation is what the Universe wants for us.

I have the custom to ask questions. I also believe that some questions are better than others. So I began to ask: 

What’s the lesson in our present challenge? 

What is it that we need to see, learn, or change?

What are we asked to pay attention to, collectively? 

I sensed that the message we need to hear won’t get revealed if we simply looked at the symptoms. We need to resolve the situation, but it’s not only the virus itself that we have to look at. Somehow I knew that this is not about diagrams, flattening curves, toilet paper, and giving in to horrifying news… 

IT’S ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE. BUT WHAT? 

I kept posing my questions. And then it dawned on me: 

THIS CRISIS IS AN INVITATION TO PAUSE. 

It’s an invitation to slow down and pay attention to what is here and now. And then to hit the reset button. It’s an invitation to stop doing so much and remember to be—to be with our kids and our families, to spend less hours away from home. To GO INSIDE. And to spend more time there. To learn to be with ourselves.

This urges us to lift our heads off the phones and ipads, and spend real time with ourselves and those we chose to live with!

To stop the busy bee syndrome and spend time with our children. To get to know them. To get to know ourselves. To be more mindful of our personal environment. To actually stay in the homes we have made for ourselves and our families. 

I also see this as an invitation for self-awareness and self-care—to keep our bodies clean and to strengthen our immune system. To become mindful of the junk we feed our bodies, and the junk we feed our minds! 

To become more aware of what we touch and how we handle things. 

To stop the mindless meetings with strangers and give our physical affection to the people who really matter to us. 

I believe this is an invitation to awaken and start seeing the beauty around us. To look Life in the eyes and appreciate all that we’ve been taking for granted. To remember to value Life—ours and the lives of those around us. 

This is an invitation to pay attention to each moment, to be more present and more mindful of all that we do. 

And perhaps this is a reminder to determine what our priorities are. To decide what we really value. And when we rush to the store to stock on toilet paper, to get clear: what do we prepare ourselves for?

I also see this as a great opportunity to explore our personal relationship with fear. To become aware of how other people’s opinions and actions influence us. To see to what extend we are prone to buy into collective thought patterns blown out of proportions. And to see how this dictates or influences our actions. 

To become mindful of what we focus on, and to observe how we give our power to fear and worry. To notice how we scare ourselves, and others, with our own fearful thoughts and worries, or by repeating someone else’s frightening words and views. To start noticing what are the sources of our worry and fears, then “to stand guard at the door of our minds”.

To begin questioning the influence of outside opinions—to see how fast we are willing to swallow the fast food of fear delivered by the media. To look into the facts, take preventive measures, think of how we can help, and how we can keep our spirits high. 

And of course, this situation is here to help us decide what is important to us: to stock on toilet paper and spread fear, or to ask deeper questions that can lead us all to the creation of a more loving world.