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COVID-19 as spiritual moment, Part 2: the community

This is the second in my three-part series about a spiritual and political response to COVID-19. The first centered on our personal needs and self-care. The third will attend to public/political policy and ramifications. Today, my focus is on community.

The community

Every spiritual movement of which I’m aware focuses on connectedness and community. It’s hard to imagine that anyone could nurture a spiritual consciousness without also being aware of and concerned about all of humanity.

“Community” can refer to the people who share your home, your neighbors, or people who live on the other side of the globe. All of us inhabit the same planet; all of us have equal value as human beings.

Some gatherings of like-minded people are faith groups, or those who hold certain ideals in common. Such affinity groups can be important to our spiritual development and even to our humanity. However, it is also essential that we look beyond those with whom we feel a particular bond. In difficult times like these, we recognize – if our eyes and hearts are open – that we are all connected, interdependent, and that we must focus on what is good and right for everyone.

Here are a few guiding principles for difficult times in community.

  • Don’t be an a-hole. It isn’t all about you. The things you do affect everyone. So…
    • Stop hoarding. Just. Stop. It. You have enough TP. When you realize that you have more than you need of something, call local food banks. They accept food, and also toiletries and personal products. Many unemployed and underemployed people are in desperate need of everything right now.
    • Don’t call it the Chinese virus or the Wuhan virus. Doing so is a lame attempt at saying this pandemic is someone else’s fault. A virus is no one’s fault; it’s just biology. Bad things happen, and laying blame on a specific country or race simply divides us at a time when we should be more united than ever to end this disease.
  • Do the right things. Remember that social distancing isn’t just a healthy practice for you; it’s good for everyone and even saves lives. The more we care for each other now, the sooner we’ll be back to normal.
  • Stop meeting in public gatherings, including for worship. When you gather for religious (or any other) purposes, you’re defying your spiritual tradition’s admonitions to care for others, especially the most vulnerable. All of us have heard of COVID-19 outbreaks, including some deaths, resulting from religious meetings.
  • Find out who is in particular need and what you can do about it. You don’t have to leave home or put yourself at risk to donate to a non-profit that is working to alleviate suffering.
  • Don’t assume your experience is universal.
    • Are you struggling to get your kids to participate in Zoom classes? Remember how many households don’t have internet access.
    • Frustrated about working from home? Consider those who’ve lost their jobs, or those whose jobs have greatly increased.
    • Are you feeling cooped up? Remember people who are confined to their homes or institutions all the time, or those who are quarantined with their abuser.
    • Tired of cooking? Recognize that many have lost income and aren’t sure how they’re going to feed themselves and their families.
    • Missing your friends? Keep in mind those who are ill or elderly and suffer far more deeply from social isolation.  
  • Celebrate those who keep us going:
    • Those who work in every sort of medical assistance, including those who work service and low-wage jobs at medical facilities;
    • People who grow and harvest our food and those who transport it, stock grocery shelves, cook and deliver meals;
    • Trash collectors, postal workers, delivery drivers, and others who perform public services;
    • Factory workers who manufacture and package essential items;
    • Politicians and bureaucrats who try to effect policies to keep us safe and flatten the curve;
    • Teachers who create new ways of learning remotely, and who are concerned about all the needs a student may have;
    • Persons who risk their own health to provide for our needs.
  • Find ways to honor the connectedness of humanity. Whether your family, your neighbors, or people you will never meet, be grateful for the relationships inherent in being human.

Pray or meditate, if that is your thing, and lift up individuals and groups who are in tremendous need. Then turn your imagination to ways in which you can serve them now, and ways in which you can serve them later when social distancing restrictions are lifted.

In our generation we may never experience another event like COVID-19. Horrible as it is, it’s also an opportunity to learn, or to relearn, how connected we are.

That is the only way we will get through this together.

© Melissa Bane Sevier, 2020

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COVID-19 as spiritual moment, part 1

“We are in uncharted territory.” That’s a statement I’ve heard and read many times in the last few weeks, and it’s true.

My husband and I once unintentionally sailed through uncharted waters. We actually had a chart, but recent storms had shifted the channel (deep passageway) and we ran aground. It was unexpected. It was disorienting. It was a bit frightening because we no longer knew the parameters of our safety.

The entire world has been thrust into an unexpected situation that is disorienting and sometimes frightening as we face a brand new virus.

What could be spiritual about a virus? Probably nothing. Not everything that touches our spiritual nature does so positively. But any moment in which we are engaged encompasses spiritual elements.

This blog begins a three-part series to explore the personal, community, and public/political intersections between coronavirus and spirituality. I hope you’ll enter the conversation and comment with your own discoveries and impressions.

The personal

Around the globe, many people’s lives have been upended by this pandemic.

The number of sickened and dead is still climbing. Thousands (maybe millions) have lost their jobs or are in fear of that eventuality. Others have found their jobs maximized in terms of hours or risk, or both. Schools have closed, visits to the ill have been limited, businesses and faith gathering spaces have been shuttered for the time being, distancing is encouraged or mandated. So much has changed, and part of the uncertainty is not knowing how long those changes will remain in place or if they may even be intensified.

In all of this, we need to care for each other and for our communities. In order to do that, we have to pay attention to what’s going on within ourselves. Like the airplane instruction that reminds us to put on our own oxygen masks before assisting someone else, self-care is an essential element in caring for other people. We should not be selfish (more about that in part two), but wealso remember that the health of our own bodies, minds, and spirits contributes to the health of the bodies, minds, and spirits of those around us.

Here are a few general principles about self-care (physical, mental, and spiritual – all of which are interconnected and inseparable) during a time of crisis.

  • Allow yourself to feel what you feel. Are you angry? Afraid? Bored? Anxious? At the end of your patience? Hopeful? Frustrated? Faithless? Grieving? Relieved that you and your loved ones are healthy? A mix of emotions is normal. Don’t repress them.
  • While acknowledging and paying attention to even the most negative emotions, lean on the more positive ones where you can. For me, gratitude is always a movement toward the healthy. I try to keep a mental list of the things and people for which I’m grateful, and I access that list when darker times and emotions threaten. During these times, I keep adding to my list: people who are working so hard for all of us to keep us healthy, or fed, or our utilities working; basics like clean water and shelter. Oh, and toilet paper.
  • Seek help when you need it. Are you being overwhelmed by depression, anxiety, hopelessness, fear? Contact a therapist; many of them are working online or by phone to help people just like you.
  • Exercise compassion toward yourself and others. This will help to calm you.
  • Limit your exposure to constant news sources, while staying abreast of what’s important and essential.
  • Stay as physically active as you can.
  • Focus on things that bring you comfort, joy, or calm. It’s early spring in Kentucky, so I’ve been spending my off time cleaning out the asparagus bed, shoveling compost, and planting seeds and seedlings. For me, gardening is tangible hope—looking forward to the future of harvesting and cooking what’s being planted.
  • Engage. Social isolation is hard on your soul. It’s a strange time when it’s inadvisable to hug, shake hands, or even be in the same room together. Find or make community when possible. Connect by phone or social media. Check on those who are physically or socially at risk. When possible, make those connections “face to face” through electronics. This week I’m coordinating Zoom gatherings of two sets of friends—I need their company!
  • Reflect. Meditate. Whether it’s a way of claiming some of your newfound extra time, or something you squeeze in on your way to another shift at the hospital, paying attention to your breath and calming your thoughts will certainly feed your soul, your mental health, and your physical well-being.
  • Laugh.
  • Share what you’re learning. I hope you’ll do that in comments here.

We’re in this for the long haul, it seems. Take care of yourself, and be well.

© Melissa Bane Sevier, 2020