by Lavinia Toma | They say without rain, there are no rainbows, without the dark you can’t see the stars, without a bit of negative, we wouldn’t be able to see the positive, and so on. Few weeks ago, our reality was totally different … In my previous story I was writing about the crying planet, now, only few weeks away … 1,3 billion people worldwide, are in self-isolation, under lockdown!
It is the first time in the history when we are all targeted, at the same time, by the same invisible enemy, who doesn’t need visa to move around and doesn’t discriminate based on gender, culture, education, continent or age… We moved from our frenetic and hyperactive lives to isolation, from the traffic and the permanent buzz and noise to the peace and quiet of all-in-house activities. A dramatic change shuttered our world overnight and we all had to accept it and adapt to it immediately, the best we could… On the positive note, it is comforting to know we are all in this together. We might be separated, physically, but we stay connected, online.
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There are, in fact, a lot of paradoxes in this current lockdown context. Before, the social media & the digital channels were keeping us apart, now they are keeping us connected, all together, both professionally and personally….We are in a sort of a warzone, fighting against an invisible enemy, but we can’t survive by being aggressive or by exercising any threatening tactics. This is not only a physical battle, it is so much more, it is a battle of conflicting emotions, our mental wellbeing being challenged every second during lockdown.
On the other hand, our isolation seems to help Mother Earth, who feels better now. We saw pictures of Venice’s clean water with fish and birds and there is a huge drop in air pollution, globally. This break from our modern lifestyle can be our opportunity to reconsider our personal Contribution, as I said in my previous story… What if this pandemic is our wake-up call? We forgot that the top position on the trophic chain, comes together with responsibility & respect for all the other species sharing the same chain! We forgot that and were so away from the normal path – this can be our chance to get back on the right track…
Copyright: Lavinia Toma
We have no excuses to forget this period! We discover now that we can live closer to the nature, pay attention to nature, birds and everything around us. It is up to each one of us to keep these images forever in your mind! Our own confort shouldn’t come on the expenses of nature or other creatures sharing the same habitat with us! The climate change hasn’t stop or reversed during pandemic, on contrary… We can be inspired by this no-waste Japanese village.
Which brings me back to my previous story and the key-words I underlined there – Contribution and Collaboration! Still very much valid even under lockdown!
We are now in a-sort-of-a tunnel without knowing how this situation will unfold and what is waiting for us outside this tunnel… What if this peaceful pause is a once-in-a-lifetime gift, a chance to re-evaluate our personal contribution to the world, to the planet, to our network, to our ecosystem?
It is up to each one of us to decide on his/ her reaction & contribution while we are in this tunnel, separated but together. We can either collapse under this huge invisible burden of stress and panic, or find ways to stay positive and “curate” our response or reaction. We all have to pay attention to what we are sharing with the network, what kind of information, resources, emotions, knowledge, expertize are we sharing with the world. We see each day that, the only way to survive this is by helping each other, keeping our morale up, being kind, attentive, generous, inclusive, showing compassion and helping each other even remotely… We, humans, need connection and empathy! We have all seen so many incredible examples, from medical staff being applauded in Spain or in UK, to the beautiful balcony singing in Italy or the incredible messages of Hope, Compassion and Generosity shown by the fashion community, one of the first badly hit by the pandemic…
So, instead of giving up and going with the negative flow, we can start by inspiring each other to become better versions of ourselves – by eating better, learning a new skill, a new language, training our mind and our body. Do whatever makes you happy, there is no time like present to work on your hobbies and passions and improve your weaknesses. In this way, when the pandemic is over, we will be better, more healthy and fit, so that we can, all together, push “the wagon” up the hill. We will need a lot of strengths and stamina to overcome all the economical roadblocks and challenges post-pandemic.
Again, we can do it Together!
Stay strong & safe!
