I’m writing this post for me. As a reminder.
A listener named Nick called in to the A New Earth podcast with a question for Ekhart Tolle and Oprah, asking how to live in the present moment when he has to worry about paying his bills. Tolle responded: you don’t have to worry about paying your bills. You just have to pay them.
Handling your business doesn’t presuppose that you must worry. The emotion of worry isn’t necessary or productive.
I keep remembering this every day right now.
People are collectively losing their shit over the coronavirus. Stockpiling toilet paper and clearing the shelves in Costco. You can see the fear on their faces, sheer desperation to control a situation that feels impossible. To keep their loved ones safe.
It’s easy to leave the news on an ever-present loop on our televisions. To let the fear sink into our bones.
But, fear isn’t required to combat this virus.
Preparation, yes. Responsible citizenship, yes. Social distancing, yes. Following the guidelines you can follow, yes.
Fear, no.
Moments like this remind us of our collective humanity, our ultimate vulnerability. We could die at any moment, wiped out because of a virus we can’t see. Living and then gone.
But, let’s remember that death is inevitable for all of us. It’s the tie that binds us to one another. No amount of stockpiling toilet paper or stealing the last flat of chicken at Costco from our neighbor will change that eventuality. Whether it comes tomorrow or in seventy years. It’s just a matter of time.
So, I’m resolving again and again to not only live in the now, but to rejoice in it. To do my part as a citizen to the best of my ability and then to throw up my hands in surrender. To find ways to be thankful for this quiet time and for the people I love, for the life I get to live and the journey I get to take on this planet.
We have to prepare, but we don’t have to be afraid. That’s the control we do have. Let’s exercise it.
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