We are all in this together.

We are all in this together.

If the above was true at any time it is all the more true here and now.

To be together requires positive thinking and a true sense of hope.

Hope comes from our faith, our emotional strength, through our thoughts and understanding of the situation. Hope also requires conviction, commitment and perseverance.

 There is a story from Baghavatham, one of many Hindu Scriptures.

Once sage Narada went to see Lord Rama. Hanuman was blocking the way standing guard. He told Narada, “Rama is busy writing notes. You can go and see but don’t disturb him”. Narada entered the room. On seeing Rama he asked “What are you writing?” Rama replied “I make a list of all those who pray for me”. Narada was pleased to see his name in the list. He did not see Hanuman mentioned in it! When Narada described this to Hanuman, he replied “It does not matter. May be I don’t deserve to be in the list. Lord also writes his notes in his diary sometimes”. Narada went back and asked Rama if he could see the diary. In the very beginning there was Hanuman mentioned in the diary!

Moral of the story:

Faith is not a matter of mere prayer. It requires conviction and commitment. Hope and positive energy are not mere thoughts and ideas. Instead they are for us to put in action especially at this time.

 Information and inputs from others are very useful and powerful. But, we should not let all those become burdens that overwhelm our positive thinking, emotional strength and intellectual rigor. Here is a brief story to make this point:

Once there was a priest. While fast sleep he had a dream. In his dream Lord appeared and told him “I will come to the Temple tomorrow and meet you!” He was ecstatic. Never could he have thought of meeting the Lord in person. Early in the morning he got ready, went to the temple and started cleaning everywhere. He invited everyone in sight to join him to prepare the temple for the Lord’s visit. Without fail each person thought that the priest had gone crazy. They ridiculed and discouraged him. He began to feel sad and doubtful of his own sanity. Ultimately he slumped in a corner of the temple and went asleep. In the middle of the night there was a knock at the temple door. Lord said “I am God; I am here to enter the temple.” The uncertain priest discouraged by all that he had heard from people around him refused to open the door and went back to sleep. The lord went away saying “someone has gone to great lengths to clean this temple so much. It is bad that I could not even get a chance to meet him!”

Moral of this story: Do not let the myriad of news items and on line messages get you down and bring down your hopes and positive thinking. We are all in this together. We will get out of this pandemic with a better respect for each other, our climate and what is truly more important for all of us as human beings.

Coronavirus has led to astonishing results in global climate. The required shutdown of economic activity has resulted in a drastic reduction in the use of fossil fuels. In China, measures to contain the virus in February alone caused a drop in carbon emissions of an estimated 25 percent. The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates that this is equivalent to 200 million tons of carbon dioxide — more than half the annual emissions of Britain. In China and Italy, the air is now strikingly clean. Venice’s Grand Canal, normally fouled by boat traffic, is running clear. In Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, the fog of pollution has lifted. Even global carbon emissions have fallen. In the short term, response to the pandemic seems to be having a positive effect on greenhouse emissions in many cities across the globe. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-climate-change.html  

At this time all of us are required to practice “stay at home and social distancing”. Let us use this time we are required to be confined at home with our loved ones to think of everything we can do now and in the long run that will help us to overcome the pandemic now and a sustainable world for all in the years to come. It is also important to experience such positive thoughts and energy to overcome the inner emotional upheavals and the mental health concerns that follow.

There is something called “The Seventh Generation Principle” based on an ancient Iroquois philosophy:

The decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/seventh-generation-principle

Now is the time to reflect on this Seventh Generation Principle and put it into practice?

Each of us live in three spheres simultaneously: Our physical activities, our emotional world and our thoughts and reflections. Here are a few action items to engage ourselves reflecting on positive thoughts which lead to hopeful emotional feeling translating into organized activities. Add your ideas, create your own list and get into action. Tomorrow is only a few hours from now!

Organize yourself:

Your stuff:                        Your daily activities and maintain a      routine.

              Your emotions:               Organize your pictures and albums (and the memories behind them).

              Your thoughts:                Start writing your diary; revise and clean it up

(which you wanted to do for a long time).

Start new creative activities:

              Help others even at a distance:                On line baby-sitting, on line mentoring

              Express your feeling and emotions:         Arts, crafts and painting

              Put your thoughts to words:                     Write an essay or poem

Reach out to others:

Time with family together:                        Board games, chess, ….?

Help others to think positive:                    Reach out to friends and relatives through phone, e-mail, video chat, WhatsApp, ……. (Be aware of what you share and how it can uplift others)

Use your reasoning:                                    Analyze what you read or observe. Look for data and what it means?

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