Covid-19 lockdown day 4 – happier and settling in for the long haul

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Now that I have become used to the concept, I am settled in and feeling more optimistic and comfortable with the 21 day lockdown here in sunny South Africa. It may be on the way to winter, but the sun is still shining strongly and the sky is a bright and clear blue. It’s a beautiful day, it’s still heaven on earth...compared to many on the planet.

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I may be in one of the better places for a lockdown to occur, with the ocean in the distance, close enough to actually see a glimpse of it and also to hear the waves crashing on a quiet and still night. And the surroundings are spacious. I can’t imagine how it must be for those in a city, or away from nature. I guess if that’s your lifestyle then you may be used to it. I would go nuts if forced to live in an urban area now.

The internet or wifi signal is still patchy or sporadic, but not too bad. If I can post this then I am ok. Even if the pictures fail to upload. We soldier on, and dismiss the frills of a little image, in favor of the written word, the information, which is the real original creative content here. Ironically, while we have been forcibly separated from our friends and social circle with the compulsory lockdown, it has somehow simultaneously brought us closer, thanks to the internet. We now care more for the other, since we are all under the same threat, and all in the same boat. So we reach out, and share and support each other more so than before.

And as we hear reports of China getting back to life after their worst is over, we feel as if this too shall pass for us in time. We just have to sit it out. And now that the hype is over, it looks like we might make it out of the storm and to the other side, to the clear light of day. Of course, we could simply be in the quiet eye of the storm and not be aware of the hurricane that surrounds us on all sides, soon to return in its next ferocious wave.

And that wave could be health or economic. But for now, in this moment, under the clear blue sky, in the still quiet of a dormant town, all seems well and good. After a while the paranoia dissipates, the news becomes repetitive and we distance ourselves from the daily barrage of updates on the virus. Let is circle the globe and build up herd immunity. There is plenty of sunshine to burn away the virus. Even the north is emerging into Spring and thawing and of course, healing. I envision it so.

A stoic or philosophical mindset is needed and really helps now. After all there are still 17 days to go of lockdown, and then we still have to reassess the situation. And with birth comes old age, disease and death, that is certain so a wise person, informed by the wisdom of the ancient Vedic Sanskrit texts, or simply by experience of life on earth, will understand the bigger picture, and not be surprised by the current situation on the planet. The show will go on, this pantomime of life on earth. It is where we all strut and fret, as Shakespeare wrote. All the world’s a stage and we are but actors, if I may paraphrase the Bard.

We may come and go but life will continue. And according to the Vedanta philosophy, the oldest and deepest on the planet, we may return in another physical body, or we may be liberated, never to require rebirth at all. Back home, back to godhead, is the catch phrase. This current situation is but our temporary position for a fleeting moment in time. On the other side, time is conspicuous by its absence. And so is the virus. No amount of money, security or comfort will protect us from the inevitable so rather let us accept it and keep a broader perspective.

Time in lockdown is perfect for the meditative yogi or mystic. Contemplation and meditation are the tools for an uplifted consciousness. And doing less while being more, is the solution to many of the world’s problems. Capitalism - or the current hijacked distortion of capitalism – needs to be curtailed and redesigned as an economic system. We cannot expect constant infinite growth from a finite planet. We need sustainability, not built-in obsolescence. So let it collapse if it must. It was unsustainable. We have been forced to sacrifice so much for this failed system. Our sanity, our mental health, our soul connection, has been removed from us due to the enforced need to work so much harder just to survive. And it is an imbalanced existence. Now the balance is being redrawn. Let’s see what the new world will look like after the dust and the virus has settled. It may be pleasantly surprising.



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4 comments
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Always appreciate your perspective, needed at times like these. We too are lucky enough to be surrounded by nature. It is my hope, if anything, this will aid in returning to a simpler (higher) mindset.

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Much more circumspect than the other day that's for sure. I am having a bad day today. It will pass.

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What a beautiful post, in a dire time. I do feel that it's a great time to reflect and just "be." There are some good things coming out of this. My family is enjoying time together while hunkering down. In the U.S., the president has just announced that the stay-at-home order will be in effect until the end of April. Not everyone will comply. It won't stop the virus. But it will help flatten the curve and prevent an overwhelm of the medical services. One more month, though. That's a long time for people who need to be out and about with friends for their sanity!

The show will go on, this pantomime of life on earth. It is where we all strut and fret, as Shakespeare wrote. All the world’s a stage and we are but actors, if I may paraphrase the Bard.

That is beautiful.

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