Over the past two years the world has weathered the storm of the Covid-19 pandemic [see photo].
As in all other storms we battened down the hatches and waited for the storm to pass. In this instance, however, we had to avoid a virus so we locked the door to our home, put on a mask when we ventured outside, and endured the death or sickness that came with this particular storm. As with any storm there is a trail of damage left behind. When the damage is physical the clean-up can proceed with due haste as we set about to rebuild what we had before. But when the damage is to ideals it is less clear where we can even begin to regain a sense of order. And that remains a robust challenge for all of us today.
The real difference between a physical storm, including a shooting war, and a viral storm is that the end of the former is clear. Both WWI and WWII had a clear and present end. But it has not been clear to most of us that this Covid-19 storm had any sign of a white flag end.
However... Today the Canadian Trucker Protest against government health and freedom mandates will perhaps mark the end of this viral storm. If this proves to be the case then it is time for all of us to start on the clean-up of our lives.
When a fire storm destroys your house you have a clear and present choice. Do you rebuild exactly what you had before or do you buy a boat and travel the world? The constraints on you as you chose between a boat and a house are much the same as those that now apply as you proceed to clean-up your life. After the fire you get a cheque from the insurance company so you are cash liquid and can fund choices that you could not before this event. People split and divorce ensues so that opens up many new possibilities for each member of a family. But the main constraint on your rebuilding your home somewhere else is your dependent kids because they are a true manifestation of continuity. Most kids will want to stay with their friends not sail around the world or build a new home somewhere else. Thus it is the power of continuity in your life that will pre-determine what choices you make after a fire or a Covid-19 storm.
The power of continuity for your choices in the aftermath of the Covid-19 storm comes to you through your thoughts, habits, and beliefs. To change anyone of those elements of life will prove to be a struggle unless, or until, you focus on your needs and reign-in the impact of other people's wants on you. That is a mental challenge because it is about rebuilding your mind rather than rebuilding your house. And mind rebuilds are different; they are not more difficult but simply different. It starts with you reprogramming the inner voice that echoes the past and has no specific voice about the future. For a voice about your future possibilities you may like to keep a diary of nightmares and dreams. It is your dreaming state that connects past continuities to new lines of continuity that are possible in your future.
If the Canadian Trucker Protest is the end of the Covid-19 storm then this is great time for you, familial, colleagues, enemies, friends, etc to clean-up the mess left behind after two years of disruption, panic, isolation, ambiguity, uncertainty, and self-delusion. The pathways forward will not come to you today, tomorrow, or next week but they will accrue to you as you curate new ways of thinking, being, and believing. This clean-up will take time and for some of you it might take as long, or longer, than the Covid-19 storm took to shake out.
If you are not a minimalist your first two actions for this clean-up is to separate "collective wants" from "individual needs". However you cannot merely reject all those "collective wants" because these have become the mainstay of your sense of continuity . And it is your sense of continuity that you will likely seek to rebuild the house rather than lease a boat and go off sailing around the world.
One thing is clear. Your clean-up will be much harder, or much easier, than you think.
Richard.
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