What remains in the heart of man when everything and everyone they knew change?
The juxtaposed reactions of euphoria and defiance of forced reprieve from the rat race and bonus holiday was palpable at the end of March 2020. Most people were convinced that the government needed the time and space to prepare our healthcare system, train front-liners, procure necessary equipment, etc. For the first time since the Rugby World Cup in 2010 I experienced a united South Africa. Our conversations were animated, sometimes fear-filled, nervous, supportive or joyous. The main topic of discussion was “Corona Virus”, and also jokingly, as an elderly lady on TikTok and Instagram sang “Corongkong Virus”, while dancing to her own beat. For a short while we collectively danced to that same beat.
I remember loads of enthusiasm for the family time, DIY time, gardening time, study time, renovation time, resting time and reconnecting and reflecting time.
As the honeymoon-three-weeks came to an end and the powers that be enforced longer lockdowns, the beat became slower and our dance labored.
Three-and-a-half months down the line …..
My heart aches for the consequences of our new lives. My soul cries out to our Creator “What remains?”
People I love, people like me and you, have lost so much. We have lost our friends, because they have changed, we have lost our security, because it was built on an old idea, we have lost stability, because our perception of stability is shattered. We have lost a world, and the strange thing is that it still looks the same, our bodies are the same, but, and this is the big but, everything FEELS different.
I’m saying this in the hope that people gain this profound realization for the simple reason that we create our world through our feelings. Allow me to explain:
Feeling is the sum total of our thoughts, words and actions. Instead of trying to only change thoughts, or words or action in a fragmented way, why not change the feeling into what you like and what feels good? It’s much easier to work with one element instead of three!
The virus is instrumental to global shift. We are literally forced to stop the doing and move into being. The busy world of our past stopped and I’m eternally grateful for it. Looking back into the history of humanity, I cannot seem to find a time where there was more depression, despair and emotional desolation than our modern time. We can now just BE. We, as human beings, are humans being.
Perhaps it is time to step into who you are. Who are you being? What are you being? With all the external layers peeled off, what remains in your heart?
Standing in my shoes, I’ve experienced the best and the worst of myself and others. And it is all okay. When we know who we are and what we are made of, we are big enough to embrace it all. We become softer, gentler, more loving, more forgiving, because there is nothing to forgive. When we step into BEING we become fulfilled and joyful – the feelings our new world need as foundation for the creation of a new world I am excited to be part of.
To get back to my original question, “What remains in the heart of man?” Love. Be love, be brave and be grace.