“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”
Dickens’ profound first words, (March of 1859), in The Tale of Two Cities, have been meaningful to me personally a few times throughout my life, but no more so than they are today, while the world stands still over, of all things, a deadly virus among other uprisings.
It is the best of times because not only do we live in the best country on earth (comparatively speaking). We have truly amazing advantages in areas of advanced communication, technology, healthcare, career opportunities, recreation and travel, just to name a few. We take for granted more than our grandparents and ancestors would ever have imagined or believed possible.
Further, because we live in the greatest democratic country in the world, we enjoy freedom of speech. That’s a good thing until we abuse that privilege by disrespecting each other and our leaders through public expressions of hatred and thoughtlessness. And what about the radical, violent takeover of our Capitol to disrupt our Democratic process last week? Even if you felt you weren’t political before this deadly event–this had to make you sit up and take notice. I truly couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched it all unfold on TV throughout that afternoon. This all loudly speaks about what seems to be our darkest of times!
Nevertheless, the human race is capable of intense love, caring and compassion, which is evidenced by friends, neighbors and communities stepping up to do what they can during our current pandemic and financial crisis–people are stepping forward to help.
Needless to say, there’s good and bad in everything and everyone, and this is undoubtedly a dark time, but as people did throughout history, the pandemic flu of 1918, countless wars, a great depression, horrific terrorist attacks of 9/11, and now the Corona 19 virus and the democratic coup attempt, we all need to find the good in our circumstances and make positive outcomes happen. An interesting note–when you think about it–we are all survivors of it all–amazing! And, not to forget, that most of our ancestors immigrated to this land by choice–however, many not by choice–we’re survivors of those challenges as well–we are all one!
I will be the first to admit that my own act could use some cleaning up when it comes to what I think, say and write. Despite our personal beliefs, I believe we need to try to be better people because there is someone or something else in charge of this universe–and it isn’t us.
Just sayin’!
It’s SO easy to feel like our country is out of control, fear of what’s to follow continues to be palpable. Here’s an exercise from one of my spiritual daily readers to maintain our inner stillness even when we feel scared or doubtful. And as we do so, let’s reassure ourselves again and again that we are safely in the care of a Power greater than ourselves. Today we know that sanity and serenity are the gifts we receive for our efforts and our faith in a brighter tomorrow. With this practice, we are learning to trust in hope, faith and peace–our light as we move forward–invaluable!!
Be Still and Know That I am With You, Psalm 46:10
Colvic 19 Humor time: This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog–we laughed a lot.
Let’s continue to show the light and our kindness by wearing our masks, Warriors–being gentle with ourselves along the way.