Before I go further, let me say that for anyone who believes this pandemic is happening because the earth is speaking to us – I am not judging you for any spiritual or religious beliefs you have that would inform that belief.
I myself have diverse spiritual beliefs, and my spiritual connection to the universe means a lot to me.
But if you have an open mind, I would offer another perspective.
Because I’m a bit concerned.
Some Perspective
Do you remember that post from a couple months (i.e. about a decade) ago, where I suggested we question why we tell others and ourselves that “everything happens for a reason”?
This is exactly an example of that. Listen, I get it. These are super stressful times.
And yes, it’s unprecedented. But let’s be clear about WHAT exactly is unprecedented.
A pandemic is NOT unprecedented.
There have been mass plagues numerous times in recorded history and before any statistics were recorded (e.g. the Black Plague from the Middle Ages that we all learned about in elementary school).
This particular new virus is virulent, to be sure. And so was the Black Plague. This is all taking place in the context of a globalized world, just-in-time delivery, and the proliferation of real time information sharing (social media).
Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT minimizing this situation.
It is useful for us to zoom out a little to remember that this is not the first time that our known world and society have encountered sweeping disease.
So why am I concerned?
In my previous post from January, I suggested that perhaps it’s common to want a bigger reason because then we feel less out of control.
And isn’t this a perfect example of our wanting to believe there’s a bigger purpose to this pandemic.
Beyond our wanting to feel more purpose, meaning and control in this situation that breeds helplessness, it’s also useful to remember that correlation is not causation.
Again, this isn’t a jab at anyone’s spiritual beliefs. If you believe the Earth is speaking, I encourage you to believe what aligns with your deep spiritual beliefs.
But if you haven’t really given it a lot of thought yet, I would encourage you to consider this.
While it’s true the earth has more time to regenerate when humans aren’t as able to pollute it, that does not immediately mean this all happened because the earth decided it had enough.
Acorn + Burdock
The positive result of cleaner air does not necessarily mean the earth caused this to happen.
Where does this leave us?
The best way we can feel that sense of purpose, meaning and empowerment in this situation is to actively use our mindset.
Regardless of your spiritual, philosophical, religious (or none of these!) beliefs. And regardless of WHY any of this is happening.
We have SO much more say over how we feel than sometimes we give ourselves credit for.
I encourage you to choose gratitude. To focus on what beliefs and thoughts and practices serve your highest love, joy and wellbeing right now.
And you can always scroll through my significant library of posts for other ideas. I’ve written dozens of posts on how to support yourself through all this.
We’re all in this together and we will get through it together. We’ve got this.
Blessings and empowerment to you.