by Maurice Turmel PhD

We have entered into an arena where the rules are unknown. Infection rates are skyrocketing around the world. Here, in North America, we have seen record increases in infection rates over the past few weeks.
We seem to be at a loss as to how to educate and prepare ourselves for what this pandemic has yet to deliver. We are operating on a scarcity basis, not knowing what rules to follow other than the basics of hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing.
The world is facing an unprecedented challenge, one not seen for over 100 years. We are flying by the seat of our pants. Daily news fills us with “do’s” and “don’t’s,” and regularly these messages. We are called upon to fend for ourselves in the sense that we have to act on these unfamiliar and precautionary measures.
We are becoming aware. We have been cast into the fray where we must pay attention to the simplest of details lest we put ourselves in danger. We are aware of how interrelated we all are and where the simplest mistakes can lead to disaster. We are witness to others’ scrutiny of our person and their worries become a signal to us to pay attention. We are aware of our own limitations in this pandemic experience, forcing us to reevaluate every move we make. We are aware of how lonely it has become not being able to hug family and friends.
We have become more aware of those who serve us at the grocery stores and other essential services necessary for daily survival, people who were more or less invisible to us before, people to whom we now practice the simplest of gratitudes. We are acutely aware of our health care professionals and how they stand between us and this Covid virus they deal with every day.
We are more attuned to the preciousness of life and how vulnerable we all are if someone lets up their guard or proves to be reckless with the basics of mask wearing, social distancing and hand sanitizing. We are routinely advised that errors in these regards can lead to serious consequences. And we are seriously affronted when someone who needs to set an example is completely dismissive of these basic requirements.
The divide grows. There are those who take the pandemic seriously and those who eschew it as some kind of conspiracy designed to control us. The latter are the same people who totally disregard what the experts and medical specialists are telling us. This is a travesty, of course, and such individuals cannot be educated to the truth.
We are at a point of divide in terms of these two groups: those that practice the now necessary precautions and those that flout them. We have decisions to make. Who do we associate with? Who do we ignore? Who do we evade altogether? Never before in our current lifetime has such a rigid divide been put before us.
The answer to this dilemma is simple at best, but painful nonetheless. We cannot ignore our own hearts and what we have come to understand about this state of affairs. We have to choose our own path based on the principles that inform us.
Our hearts may be in agony over this, but our health requires it. We must choose what’s best for ourselves given the consequences that could be so severe. It’s time to put up or shut up. We must stand up for what we truly believe and make ourselves and our needs be the determiners of action. We must choose!
There are do’s and don’t’s of pandemic living . There are no excuses to be made. What has to be done is necessary given the current state of affairs. We can not ignore what has to be done for the safety of all.
So what can we do? We can open our hearts and see our way through this. Let’s appreciate our interconnectedness. Let’s celebrate our essential workers with a smile and by thanking them, using their name, usually posted on their uniform. Let’s show them they are visible and that we do care.
We are here on this Earth for a purpose, to savour the beauty that surrounds us, to appreciate each other in full measure, and to realize how important we all are to each other and to the whole of mankind. We are facing the realization that collectively we are One Body experiencing this pandemic together, learning through necessity new ways to maneuver through it, while appreciating much needed solace wherever we can find it.
There’s no doubt we can do this. Mankind has been here before. We are at the point where there can be no more waffling. There’s work to be done. We recognize the necessity that science must be adhered to. And we know it’s up to us to make that choice.
What’s the alternative? The American White House has been guilty of ignoring the truth about the seriousness and devastating nature of this pandemic. Look at where they are now. The pandemic has come home to roost, and the leadership that chose to downplay it and ignore it is paying the price. From the President on down the members of this leadership team have become an epicentre of their own making. Their most recent garden event, where attendees chose not to wear masks or practice social distancing, has resulted in two dozen infections and still counting. How are they going to spin that? It is absolutely essential for good sense to take the lead and science has that mandate. There’s no denying its importance.
Nations of the world are coming together, helping their own citizens and helping each other. This planet’s citizens are learning from each other and supporting each other, with the growing belief that we can find our way through this. The time has come to step up and be who we really are, one nation under the laws of the Universe dedicated to the purpose of helping each other survive this pandemic while healing the wounds of former divisions.
Let us consider this and make our choice together. The pandemic has shown us what is now blatantly obvious. We need each other. Let’s make that choice and start pulling together. We can do this!