Take A Break From The World
It’s time to stop.
In the light of a national pandemic emergency, there is nothing you can do, but to stop. In this sense, I am mostly talking about your inner compass that needs flipping, and not about the measures you should be taking to stop the virus from spreading. I’m sure you know them all by heart now.
Truth be told, social isolation like putting an end to going out for brunches, movies, and drinks is the best solution we have right now.
So why not make the best out of the best, like we’re supposed to do?
It’s been more than a week now, that offices around the world and cities’ social circuit is in total lockdown and everyone is doing their best while staying indoors and working from the comfort of their home.
While working remotely definitely has its pros and cons, we should all focus on the primary solution for getting out of this situation we got ourselves into. Because let’s face it, humanity has lost its sense of reality in a wrong way and a long time ago.
Believing strongly that we can compete with nature’s way of healing has led us to destroy the very land we live on today. Believing we have authority over things that are not or should not be in our power to decide and control upon, has gone down on the spiral of self-immolation and wrecking what should be taken care of in the first place. Our excessive consumerism and desires around material possessions have led this Earth to suffer.
Personal credit allows us to make purchases beyond our income-level. Advertisements reshape our desires around things we don’t need, and the consumption culture that surrounds us begins to make excessive consumption appear natural and normal.
How Did This All Start Anyway?
Wet markets put people as well as live and dead animals like — dogs, chickens, pigs, snakes, civets, and more — in close contact. That makes it easy for zoonotic diseases to jump from animals to humans. Do we really need those “food festivals” to happen in the first place? Do we want to have a boiled bat for dinner? I’m sure we could just settle for the old-fashioned mashed potatoes and cauliflower.
The aim of this article is not about blaming anyone or to make you feel guilty or disgraced, but to point out the measures that we as individuals can take step by step to make sure that we contribute to the well-being of mother Earth so that she can further take care of us.
So, What Are The Primary Things You Should Keep An Eye On?
Firstly, if each and every one of us would start by doing small improvements, those improvements would eventually add up and create the base of stability we all lack in terms of health and environment.
Don’t ever underestimate the power of simple things that you can do to help protect the Planet.
- Ever heard of the “3 R’s”? Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cut down on what you throw away. Follow these 3 steps as much as you can to conserve natural resources and landfill space.
- Educate. When you further your own education, you can help others understand the value of our natural resources.
- Choose sustainable. Perhaps, the most important thing in these times of crisis that we are facing. With every huge restaurant and social getaway closed, opt for supporting small and local businesses within your community. Spending your money with a small business often will keep the money within your community, and will help the people in getting through this crisis of the unbalanced economy.
- Plant a tree. Trees provide food and oxygen. They help save energy, clean the air, and help combat climate change. What more could we possibly ask for?
- Cut down on meat-eating. For some people, this is just impossible to achieve, but believe me, it’s way easier than you think so and has a huge impact on the Planet. Most of our eating is mindless, meaning it is governed by habits and rituals like (“eat turkey for Christmas”). Mindless eating can prevent us from realizing that we are being tempted. Focus on eating mindfully.
- Bike more, drive less. Reduce pollution in the air.
- Worry less, adapt to changes.
Last but not least, as Charles Darwin put it — “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.”
Use this time of self-isolation as your ticket to freedom. Stop worrying and panicking. Stop thinking negatively and transmitting panic to other people. But rather take care of your body and spirit. Be kind to yourself. Read a good book, watch a comedy, create something — whether it’s a recipe that has been on your mind for a while now or a piece of art. Reach out to others in need and help them (it will make you feel better). Be a positive, uplifting influence in these times of hardship. We need more people to spread positivity and confidence.
A contagious disease is not connected to any racial or ethnic group, so speak up if you hear negative stereotypes that only promote animosity. With the right outlook and intentions, we can all ensure that kindness and charity spread throughout our communities even faster than this virus.
