Hello friends that I call family,
I am writing this in the middle of the one of, if not the, worst time of our lives. Facing COVID19 is something that we are doing as a nation and as a world, together. One virus against all the people. It is wreaking havoc in Italy and China and even in parts of the US. We watch the reports daily, starving for more information about what is happening & what is going to happen, in an effort to somehow prepare ourselves and those we love from this terrorizing virus, the economic repercussions of it, and the personal fallout of it on our every day lives. We hear stories of real people who are not able to work because of schools being closed and them not having money for rent or food. We joke about the toilet paper hoarders but behind the joke is a thick fear and anger. We are canceling our vacations and staying in and telling our children and ourselves, “No”, a lot more than we ever have. We truly don’t know what the future holds and neither do the simulators or the economists. What we know, really know, is getting smaller and smaller and smaller. We know we are afraid. Afraid of sickness and loss and death, if not our own then people we love. Afraid of losing what we have worked hard for or losing our future or losing our job or losing our independence. These are crazy, fearful times.
In the middle of all this, I hope to provide some thoughts. I desire to share some wisdom and hope. For those of you who don’t know me well, I’m a simple man, plain, ordinary, broken, messed up, just like the rest of the world. I only hope that my small voice in the drowning wave of voices right now will provide something good.
More than more is a small not for profit organization based out of Lafayette, Indiana. We have been in existence for 11 or 12 years now. We gather together and share food and time and laughter and relationship. We serve in our community together - trying to right some of the wrongs of this world. We are trying to redirect ourselves and those around us to a better way than the usual way of purchase and spend, get more, become more, be more, more more more that we have seen around us our whole lives. In this effort, we are always talking about 1 word.
Notice.
We feel noticing is at the heart of the best life.
I feel noticing is even more important at a time such as this.
I would imagine that this is vague to any who have not been thinking this way, so let me elaborate.
Notice
Notice what I have seen written on social media so many times lately about the birds singing and the breeze blowing and the kids laughing and the warmth of the affection and love of those you care about. This is a time to share lists and lists of things we notice - the wonder and awe and joy of the world in its simplicity - the goodness of real life. These are what really matters in this world - and they will be affected by COVID19, but the moment you have them cannot be stolen from you. Rather than living in the fear of the future only (which we all will do to some degree), live in the presence of the moment and savor the goodness of the things in life that matter - don’t let them be stolen away.
You see, in times of fear, we naturally respond w fight or flight. We can’t really run from this virus, so we fight and flight in our minds and in our “what ifs” and we circle and circle our thoughts around and around and around til, in a nauseated blue light phone haze, we look up and those around us are neglected and we have missed another minute, hour, day, week of real life w those we love. How many minutes have you spent on social media just soaking in the stuff and fear of COVID19? What if 1/2 of those minutes were spent in conversation , play, goodness, real life, with those you love? What if 1/2 that time was spent serving someone in some way? What if we woke up and noticed?
Also, in times of fear, we tend to “circle our wagons” - the more the threat, the more we tend to withdraw inward our circles of defense and protect what is ours, for fear of losing. The more we do this, the more we see those outside our circle of defense as outsiders - even offenders - even those who would steal from us. This only divides us. This creates all kinds of potential for discrimination and hurt - this is the kind of fear the gripped Germany in the days they gave control to Hitler - us and them.
So, please consider, we are all in this together. There are some circles of defense, of course. There have to be. We need to take care of our families and those closest to us. But, our neighbors (even the grouchy ones) are also scared. They are scared of the same things we are. They also are scared of loss and sickness and death. They also feel threatened and are “circling their wagons”. Please notice them. See them. Their grouchiness is almost certainly because of the brokenness of their hearts. They have been hurt before. They have been broken by the circumstances of life.
This brings us to another of More than more’s sayings. People suck. All people - no exceptions. They are all pitifully broken - crushed by the weight of the world. But at the same time, people have the stuff of wonder in them - the amazingness of awe that we all feel at the birth of a child is alive in them. In some it is really hard to see the amazing and wonder - and others it is hard to see the fault, but they all have both.
So, in times like this, take a second and notice that you are broken (not hard for most of us) and that the people around you are (also not that hard) and that you have wonder and awe and amazing in you and they do too. People are the most wonderful thing in the world and the most heinous.
Notice them. See them. Don’t rush by. Don’t let your fear make the world into an us and them. Push back against your fear and see what is actually true. Put down the social media and be social. You don’t have to do it closer than 6 feet. You can see people and wave and talk loudly from 20 feet away. You can make extra food and share it. You can give gift cards to people who are out of work. You can smile at your neighbors and wish them well. You can choose to include and not exclude - it begins in your heart and that is not outside anyone’s quarantine. This is a time for lists and lists of ways to notice and care for other people without changing our public health and social distancing shared among us.
Notice why you have the fear in the first place. It is because you have something to lose. Now, take a step back from that thought and see what you have to lose. Notice. See with gratitude and thankfulness what you have. See the goodness of your life. Let your fear redirect you to be thankful for your life. What if 1/2 of the time you were frantically searching for information or vegging out on social media or netflix, you spent being thankful? Notice. This is a time for noticing. This is a time for lists and lists of things we are thankful for, shared among us - encouraging us all.
I am not advocating for mindless gullibility - there are sucky people who will try to take advantage and hurt us during this time - so also be wise. Fear brings out the worst in people and sometimes people will latch onto hurtfulness so big that it can harm many. It is perfectly ok for us to avoid those who are being evil and name evil as evil. But, don’t let them distract you from what is important and the wonder there is to notice all around you.
Notice that you may need to work harder to get less during this time than any other in your life to this point, but most of us are, you are not alone. Don’t take advantage of peoples’ goodness. We are all are going to have to do without - a lot - and that is a pain, but let it redirect you to the things in life that are the most important. Let your withdrawal from western indulgence sober you into seeing what the rest of the world lives like and fill you heart w focus on the things that were there mattering all the time. $7 coffees don’t matter, it’s who you share them with that does, for example…
Lastly, this is not a time for pride. Love goes above pride, always does. If you need help, please ask. Please let a neighbor know, a doctor know, a friend know. Notice the fact that there may be more people who will love you than you thought and allow them a chance to care about you.
In summary, I hope we will all notice. See. Open your eyes and your heart. All this can redirect us to the things in life that really matter - they can refocus us, but we have to choose that path.
Noticing….
Jason
