Sunday July 19, 2020 Yesterday afternoon, rather unexpectedly, Denver Public Schools announced they will be starting the year by teaching remotely for the first two weeks of school. The district states the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the Denver metro area was the main influence in making the decision. It hopes to return to school in person sometime in the fall as long as it is safe to do so. Now we wait to see how nearby districts in Colorado will react. In the meantime the U.S. is a complete mess. It's failure to handle the virus and keep transmissions down has us now in a situation where hospitals are being overwhelmed, fear and panic are on many minds as school years are about month away and we still have a mask war going on. We have been denied entry into nearly every country in the world. If that does not tell us something then we will not wake up from this nightmare until it may be too late. The state of Florida had 15,000 cases in one day last week. The country of South Korea has yet to reach 15,000 cases since the pandemic began.
Washington state, an early epicenter for the virus in the U.S., has had a recent wave of new cases. Reporting on average 700 a day last week. The seven day average in the U.S. is 65,000+ cases a day.
At 14 million cases in the world and with other countries reporting raising case numbers it is fairly safe to say the pandemic is not leaving anytime soon. It is almost certain the infection rates will remain similar throughout the remainder of this year (and may worsen come cold and flu season). It appears our hope lies in a vaccine, but a vaccine is not a guarantee. If one can even be created at all. Trying to remain positive during this time is a task many are finding nearly impossible. Much of our anxiety is caused by a hopelessness felt due to an unknown future. The future has always been unknown and because we pine for it to be better and different and filled with pleasure is the reason our minds resemble Ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. In our minds we have created this vicious circle of chasing something better in hopes of finding it and thus making our lives better. The tragedy in seeking happiness is we will never be satisfied. We are continuously looking for the bigger, better next thing. We are always looking to the future for the next moment. The next amazing memory we can create and cram into our subconscious past only to be recalled when we want to remember how great the past was and then project a future that will be even grander. Stay focused on the here and now. Embrace, what Eckart Tolle calls, the "joy of being". He speaks of shift from "doing" to "being. As in being in the moment. Many of us have found ourselves trying to "do" things during the pandemic to keep ourselves busy and distracted, but there is peace to be found in the quiet moments of just being. I remember a number of years ago, after feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything I was entangled in, I decided on a strategy I called "do less with more time". Similar to the "less is more" philosophy I found myself just wanting more time to myself. Time in which I could dedicate to reading, writing, hobbies or just simply sitting and relaxing in others being, not doing. In the process of becoming more mindful and attempting to simply "be" you may find your subconscious mind resists. The urge to "do" something or the minds way of fretting and feeling anxious over the current state of affairs or the fear of what the future may hold. These are normal obstacles we all face and the main reason why meditation is, for some, a difficult concept and an even more difficult task. But, As Jon Kabat-Zinn states, "Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity which at bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are."
Meditation and the art of "being" in the moment and staying present is not a magic pill to be swallowed. It is not a secret potion made to drink and fix you. The fact is life is not simple and it cannot be "let go" of by sitting quietly in your garden or emptying your head. It is filled with emotions and feelings and desires. It is the feeling we ought to strive in our attempt to "be". To truly live life is to feel all of it. The pain, the joy and the spontaneity of your incredible existence. Ironically (or maybe purposely) the second definition of exist in the dictionary is to, "live, especially under adverse conditions."
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