A time to reflect and think about our actions
We live in strange times. Half the world is now on lockdown and we are fighting an invisible enemy.
Our world has gone through many viruses and illnesses over the last decades and centuries. However nothing has immobilised us quite like Coronovirus. How can something so invisible, affect us on such a mass scale? And why is this monumental ripple effect happening across the world and happening now?
I believe the worldwide quarantines, lockdowns and facts around this virus are so much more than what meets the eye, and so much more than what is being portrayed in the media.
Our world has evolved at a staggering pace the last few decades. With the birth of the first computers and the internet, our world has never been more connected, however, it has also never been more isolated or on autopilot. Many of us are overworked, over stimulated, over rushed and over anxious.
With an imposed quarantine and lockdown, we no longer have our usual distractions. We can no longer rush around, running from place to place, trying to juggle a gazillion to dos. We have been forced to slow down and to stay indoors. Therefore, with a slower pace and worldwide shutdown, maybe now is the perfect time to reflect on some fundamental questions about the way we live, the way we treat our planet, our lifestyle choices and what is at the heart of our humanity:
- Our working lifestyles: it is time to reflect on how we work, how much time we spend killing ourselves in jobs that we may not even like, or working on projects that are not serving the greater good.
- Our consumer lifestyles: how much we buy, consume, throw away, waste, and discard. All to cover up things that may not be working in our lives, or to feel better about ourselves or our situations.
- Our relationship towards others: are we kind, are we considerate, do we spend the time to care for others, or do we stay chained to our hamster wheel, running through life.
- Our relationship towards ourselves: how we treat ourselves, our health, and our mindset. Are we kind to ourselves, or are we demanding too much? Do we chastise ourselves for not being the right size, not being smarter, not getting that promotion. What could we change to live our most extraordinary life? What has not been working in our lives that we could start changing today?
The earth is getting a breather from us. She is for the first time in decades having time to breathe her own air and renew her cells. It is time for us to do the same. To take a moment, breath, reflect, and renew.
I am in Lisbon during the lockdown and I’ve noticed that people are calmer, quieter and maybe even more considerate.
I see fathers on their phone to loved ones, playing games and giggling. I see families on their balconies playing music together. I see people in the park reading a book or feeding birds. Although we are experiencing unsettling times, people seem calm and almost happy. It seems that with forced quarantines and lockdowns, people have changed down a gear and stepped off the hamster wheel.
I believe we are experiencing a purge. For ourselves and for our planet. And once this storm has passed, our way of life will be very different. We will see things through new eyes, with a different perspective and new priorities.
With this thought, I would like to end this article with a quote from “Le Petit Prince”, which I think is very fitting during these times.
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye”.
Please share how you feel without the usual daily dose of distractions and consumerism. With having more time with your loved ones and family. And how it feels working from home away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
If you want to learn more about the power of self-reflection, here are a few articles I found interesting:
https://everydaypower.com/self-reflection-quotes/
https://www.lifehack.org/696285/how-self-reflection-gives-you-a-happier-and-more-successful-life
https://theblissfulmind.com/importance-of-self-reflection/
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/01/importance-self-reflection-part-2/
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash