Going Inside

If you can't go outside; go inside.
-Unknown ( from listed video below)

I was inspired today by a lovely dharma talk from "Brother Freedom" (see link below) and by this gut feeling I have been having about this pandemic.  I came up with two suggestions I want to share

Don't step out of the bubble too soon!

Don't let it in!

Huh?

Don't Leave the Bubble Too Soon

I can understand people are getting tired of being cooped up inside. It effects individual well being.  People need people, right?

And there are many individuals out there with mental illness who need it more than most and they now do not have access to personal contact with support systems. 

There are elderly individuals reaching the end of their lives who are missing out on  precious time with loved ones.  Some who, because of a lack of social stimulation , are deteriorating emotionally, cognitively and physically.

I also know that this forced social isolation is wreaking havoc in other systems like the economy, small business, and social programs.

Of course, our acute care and long term care health systems are being overtaxed...our health care professionals overworked and over stressed.

And what about addiction? I know of individuals who desperately, desperately need rehabilitation and have been literally waiting for over  a year to get into a program and now it is delayed indefinitely. And could  this type of isolation lead the recreational users to over use and abuse in order to numb from the boredom? I see it happening.

We will not understand the full cost of this global shut down until it is completely lifted but we do know it is costly.

Yes it is hard...so, so hard on the world that is kept  in the bubble pandemic containment requires. We want out!  And sometimes, we tell ourselves many things to get out.

But...you knew there was a but coming , right?

We can not come out too soon!

I am especially concerned about my province loosening up too quickly on its regulations.  I have a strong feeling, and I don't know why, I just do...that we are going to hit a spike in early May...a sign that we came out too soon.

There has been no new cases in the last few days...wonderful news!  We have only a little over 100 confirmed cases in my province, all but six of them fully recovered, no deaths.  That seems like wonderful news and it is...but it doesn't mean we are out of the woods.  Especially considering the province next to us has almost 26,000 cases.  (Of course...these numbers seem so tiny compared to the States but it has to be understood how rural much of Canada is in comparison to the congested urban centers of the U.S. that are reporting much greater numbers.). 

Anyway...the fact that we have so few cases leaves me a little uneasy.  I believe, as I have said before, that the virus has to pass through us and it seems that it just went around us. If this virus is like most viruses ...in order to reduce its impact we need  herd immunity.  We only get herd immunity with the production of antibodies either naturally ( by people getting sick and recovering) or artificially (by vaccines). We haven't enough of either. 

Part of me says,   "More  healthy people have to get sick,"  and at the same time I recognize the danger in that.  We do not know how this virus will behave because it is so new and we do not know enough about it.  We cannot guarantee that infected once- healthy people will not get sick enough to need a ventilator and if that happens we might over tax our health care system thus leading to more morbidity and mortality in the  long run. 

Part of me also says, "Let the people who had the virus and who  recovered out and about".  But we cannot say for sure that this virus will lead to the same immunological responses other viruses lead to.  Maybe our immune cells will not "remember" the antigen, making any antibody production useless, and  leading to repeated infections in the same person.

Part of me says, "Just let it happen.  Let's take our chances and let nature do what she needs to do! Let the virus pass through us."  Of course I regret that as soon as I say that.  One life lost when it doesn't have to be is too much and the effects of an uncontained virus without appropriate antivirals or vaccines could be too detrimental to even imagine.

 So it is all a risk.  Getting out of the bubble too soon might do more harm than good.  Maybe ...we can slowly leak people out a bit at a time and closely monitor? Or maybe we just have to wait until we have the antivirals and vaccines to fall back on?

Anyway, let's not be in a hurry to get out too soon.

Don't let it in

Of course, I am not just  talking about not letting the actual virus into our physical  homes but also not letting  the fear, anxiety, frustration related to the virus into the home the Self offers us. (check out the video below). 

We can make a  home refuge within our minds... a place that is spacious and inviting, still and quiet.  We do not need to overload our minds with COVID-19 news.  We can close the mental window on that for most of the day.  If you feel inclined to...open it up once a day. 

I myself do not listen to the news ( I didn't before COVID and I don't now.) Surprisingly, I still know what is going on in the world around me. I don't do social media anymore nor do I have my phone with me much of the time.  I  don't actively seek the news. It comes to me when it is necessary.  I will check in with others who know once every 2-3 days to find out what is going on.  Sometimes people  will fill me in, in our conversations without my request.  I get all the news I need about this pandemic and for the rest of my time I do not dwell on it. 

I follow protocol.  I teach others.  I have "rules" in my house that I enforce so the virus does not come in, and so that others do not take it out if by chance it does enter. I meditate and pray for all those suffering because of it once or twice a day. But I I do not spend much of my mental energy on COVID-19 .  I do not let COVID-19 in.  I keep my refuge as pure as I can.

How?

By doing as the above quote suggests. I go inside.  I find the imperturbable spaciousness inside and I relax in that. My mind shuts the windows that lead outside and relaxes in that space as well.

Works for me and I am confident it will work for you.  We might not be able to go outside for a while.  Let's all try  going inside instead.

All is well

Plum Village ( March 27, 2020)Be a Home For Yourself/ Br Ngo Khong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jveH-VUC8po