The impact of COVID around the world is enormous. The overall consequences facing many nations and individuals have been tremendous. For the first time, we are faced with a pandemic a that is brought a lot of fear into the lives of most people
Nations are scrambling to find solutions, valuable solutions that will help to solve the problem.
The Reality
Individuals are faced with the dilemma of not only losing their work, inability to pay their bills, fear for their loved ones, and fear for their own lives.
Life has always brought challenges; however, this one is a little bit special because it affects so many people. And the people that we could lean on for help, all of a sudden, are not there to help because they need help themselves.
Many people face these challenges in different ways. Some people are fearful, while others tend to be fearless. I remember asking a relative, how she was doing? Instead of answering that things were doing OK despite what was going on. The answer was that “the blood of Jesus covers me.” So I said, “well, make sure you’re wearing your mask and washing your hands.”
The response was, “well, I’m not partially covered, but 100% covered”.
Then there are the other people that live in fear. They are afraid to go out; they are scared to go shopping, are scared to take public transportation, and become paralyzed. Of course, all of this is understandable, considering the circumstances that we are in. Everyone at some level feels challenge and is trying to cope the best way possible. In Jamaica, a man sneezed in a minibus and was then beaten up and thrown off the bus by other passengers. Why? They were afraid.
Emotional Pain
Think about the challenge we face when all of a sudden we lose our job and you’re not able to fulfill your responsibilities, you’re not able to put food on the table, and you see those closest to you suffering, and you can’t do anything about it.,
Many people are overwhelmed and cannot seem to find an answer or even put a word on the internal pain and emotional stress they face.
Many older people who are more at risk than others tend to be isolated and left feeling alone. Loneliness can be overwhelming, especially at a time when social contact is needed the most. Yet it’s the time when social distancing is required for survival. It’s a time when we hear about many people young and old are dying without the possibility of family members or friends being close by. It hurts but there’s very little that can be done to remedy the situation
In places like Jamaica, where older people usually live with the younger generations, the folks have benefited. These seniors have experienced more social contact and comfort during the COVID pandemic. In countries with multi-generational families under one roof, this has been the case.
Many people have been forced to work from home, and there has been limited travel. This has contributed to families having more interaction and time together. Positive for most and challenging for families with prior problems.
Anger
It is also a time when there is great anger. We can be angry at ourselves or others for the situation we face. The blame game comes alive; we blame China; we blame Trump and the politicians. Yet still, the answers we seek are not there. Then we try to blame ourselves. What could I have done better, wish I had saved more money for a rainy day, and I wish I were someplace else.
Coming to Terms
And then this time of COVID-19, it’s a time when the reality of the situation overcame us. We finally realize that we are not in control of everything. Some things happened or outside of our control, and we have to deal with the consequences.
This is where our value system kicks in. What is it that we value most? What is it that is the most important thing to us? Is it our house, our car? the money that we have in our bank accounts? Is it our investment?
Hope
Let me help you a little bit here. The most valuable thing in this world is life itself. Where there is life, there is hope.
So if you have a life right now, then you can be thankful for that. If you’re in good health, you can be grateful for that if you have people that love you and care about you. You can be thankful for that.
So what do we do with COVID 19? What do we do until when we have a vaccine or a cure?
The first step is to accept the reality of the situation. The second step is to calibrate your attitude towards your values. The third and final step is to release yourself from the pain and move on.
In the process of moving on, you have to reject the status quo. You have to release yourself from the noise. The noise that says oh it’s China oh it’s Trump oh it’s all these people that are not wearing their mask oh it’s all these people that don’t care oh it’s because the politicians are not doing anything. The truth is is that some people will be will not be sensitive to following the rules about distancing, and wearing a mask, etc. until the effects of COVID-19 have touched them personally.
What do you think it did to the BRITs when it became known that Boris Johnsen had COVID-19? When it became known that he wasn’t doing well and in fact, he could’ve died. Did you think that it had any impact on them? Did it have any effect on Boris’s thinking regarding COVID? Do you think he became more sensitive because of that?
Being Real
Sometimes it’s only when someone has lost a loved one to COVID-19, or a coworker or a neighbor or an associate, that’s the time they start taking things seriously.
So it’s not just about what others are doing, but it’s about what you do. It’s about the choice you make, and it’s about the outlook that you see.
In this pandemic, people have and will experience emotional pain; Yet, we must seek a way to live on. We are trying to find a balance in difficult times.
The good news is that even in times like these, we can be resilient. We can be mentally healthy, and we can move on with a positive outlook on life regardless of the pain, regardless of the suffering and loss of COVID-19 has placed right in the middle of our lives.
This is the reality. The question is what are we going to do about it
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