Last year when my friends and family from overseas would ask me about the violence and protests in Hongkong, I could tell that there was a sense of detachment about what was really happening in Hongkong .. yes they were concerned about our well being and as long as we were safe they seemed at ease.
Similarly when I read about the forest fires in Australia or California, the volcanic eruptions in Indonesia, the floods in india, or the fate of refugees from Syria I would feel bad for a few minutes, would send well being messages to people who I knew lived in those affected countries and then carry on with life as usual.
Now the whole world is impacted and we are all being forced to take notice of how we have treated this planet we call home.
Many people are becoming philosophical about the current situation and there are innumerable messages about how we need to awaken and take responsibility for our deeds. We all are sitting in our homes and being forced to rethink our priorities. We have gotten so used to our life styles of excess that they seem to have become necessities.
Now that most of us are locked down in our homes, the cars, the watches, the designers bags and dresses don’t seem to matter.
About a fortnight back my husband had a sort of panic attack. I had no idea why he was suddenly hyperventilating and unable to sleep. Upon my asking he shared that he was panicking at the thought of loosing more than half of his investments due to the current economic climate. We both then did a quick recap of our incomings and outgoings and sure enough it was not a pleasant sight but we still would be very comfortable. We both then sat down and listed the things we have and what really matters. We realized we had a lot to be grateful for and yet we were insecure.
As Mahatma Gandhi said “ there is enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed”
We are all subconsciously conditioned to desire and achieve more and our self worth is directly in proportion to our net worth. The current situation is forcing all of us to rectify our excessive lifestyles and prioritize what is important.
It’s not the time for philosophical discussions and fake promises. We cannot adopt the ostrich mentality anymore and pretend that all is well. IT IS NOT !
The entire human race is being held hostage because of the choices we have made. It’s easy to apportion blame to others but deep in our heart we know that we are all responsible for the current state of affairs.
It’s not just some where it’s everywhere. It’s not them, it’s all of us.