Sadly, humans have not learned from the pandemic. I’m sure you recall that the Corona virus inflicted death, destruction, and massive uncertainty around the globe. People’s lives, routines, and normal sense of security were upended. Add to that the record number of natural disasters, the worldwide social discord over the video-taped murder of an unarmed man by police, and political unrest. A regular thought of mine in 2020 was, “What is happening?”
“We could have cured indifference.”
–Glen Alex
The hate that people and groups hurled at one another over disagreement was salient. The absence of empathy and the staunch refusal to listen to one another with any modicum of openness led me to realize that indifference was the virus. Still, I had hope for humanity.
A Golden Opportunity
Even though Rona caused so much pain and exposed the dark side of humans, the shutdowns provided us with a golden opportunity, as do all challenges. The ashes strewn about by the fires of the pandemic gave us humans the chance to learn and grow individually, and to create a healthier collective. As unrealistic as it seemed, personal and social conditions in 2020 were favorable for positive, lasting changes for us all because order is always preceded by chaos.
We could have collectively created a new world order, one full of loving purpose, genuine camaraderie, and mutual respect of each other’s humanity. We could have cured indifference.
“People who are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually balanced do not intentionally harm self or others.”
–Glen Alex
Instead, it was business as usual when the global pause button was released. Play involved the resumption of hateful and harmful acts toward self and others. People blamed everyone else for their own mistakes and failures. Police brutality was caught on camera, again. Those who don’t meet performance criteria cheat the process. Modern day slavery is at an all-time high. “What is happening?” and “Why have we squandered the redo life offered us?”
I want better for myself, for you, for humanity. We can do better. And I must say that if more of us were Living In Total Health, then there would be less pain, suffering, and oppression in the world because people who are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually balanced do not intentionally harm self or others. It is my hope, still, for all of us to awaken to our windows of opportunity to improve and have the courage to act upon them.
What You Can do to Cure Indifference
You may ask yourself, “What can I do about the world?” Well, you can start with recognizing that your choices do impact the collective. So keep reading for simple action steps you can take to advance the state of humanity.
1. Identify your locus of control, which is your personal realm of control and responsibility. Trying to fix another person’s problems, trying to govern their choices, and trying to control their outcomes gets overwhelming. Such efforts set you up for failure, anxiety, and depression. Individually, you can’t change another person, stop the war in Ukraine, or end homelessness.
However, you can control what you eat, drink, read, buy, pay attention to, and vote for. You also control your behavior, your activities, and who you spend time with.
2. Take care of yourself. While self-care is within your locus of control, it’s useful to focus on it because tending to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health establishes your foundation upon which to build authenticity and resilience. Get adequate rest, nourish with the right foods for you, surround yourself with loving and supportive people, strengthen your boundaries, and seek help from professionals when needed. The healthier you are, the better choices you make.
3. Be present. Align your mind with your body in the here-and-now, in the present moment. This is also called mindfulness. With mindfulness comes your power and control. You are then open to insights and guidance from your intuition, you are more deeply aware of what’s happening within and outside of you, and you tap into your innate strengths.
4. Develop empathy. Seeking to understand rather than being understood evokes empathy and respect for the humanity in others. Empathy deepens human connection and, I believe, can cure indifference. The more connected you are to another human being, then the more you understand the loving interdependence that binds us all to each other.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
― Stephen R. Covey
Taking these action steps will enhance your life and positively contribute to humanity. When you exercise your locus of control, have good self-care, are mindful, and have empathy, you empower yourself. And that leads to you treating yourself and others well, which positively benefits the collective.
Even when your life is hard, even when you are stressed out, and even when things aren’t going your way do your part to improve the state of humanity. Together you and I can cure the virus of indifference.