“So many times I have imagined a lot of things, building infinite manors of possibilities in my head; yet never have I imagined that I’d get to live to witness one of the darkest days in the history of humanity…” The Little Mermaid, MMXX
I would have palpably hoped that our contemporary reality-this torturous exile, this cyclopean deprivation, this ruthless protracted separation from our dears, this enduring suffering were all only part of a ghastly nightmare; that sooner or later I’d wake up from a torpid, deceptive slumber to my ordinary ubiquitous existence, but alas! I veil my eyes in terror of the extraordinary scale of cataclysm that faces us today-the Coronavirus; and gushing tears bear asseveration to my sympathy for the unutterable ruin that this pandemic is fomenting. My precious friends, we are in desperate straits. Nothing I say can change what you are going through, nay, please permit me to participate in your sharing of grief during these turbulent moments. I would like to tender my solemn condolences to those of you who have lost your loved ones. I would like to tell those of you cripplingly consumed by a sense of indefinable anxiety, inconsolable sadness and lingering uncertainty that you are not alone. I stand by your side. We are in this together.
During my period of quarantine in conjunction with being my inveterate pensive self, I have been doing some chasmic thinking on the art of living, our potentiality as humans and on our susceptibility ‘to get it wrong’, because, I hate to admit it, we did get it wrong! 30 882 deaths worldwide of our kindred brothers and sisters as at 29.03.2020. It is bone-chilling. But, I am uncomprehendingly wondering, in parallel, how much it must have hurt for that baby kangaroo to watch her mother smeared in blood, writhing in agony during the recent Australian bushfires. Did the koala also bear aches and pains from the excoriating heat? Are dogs harmed when their skin is barbarously scourged, when they are boiled and burnt alive to make stew? Does it distress an animal as huge as an elephant when it is slaughtered for ivory? How about monkeys, when they are austerely traumatized by being victims of well-intentioned brutal psychological and physical harassment in cages or laboratories? Do you mull over the inhumane, unforgiving nature of the inexpiable sin humanity is heathenishly committing on these poor living things? Please take a moment to hear their cries of hopelessness, to see the abominable misery through their eyes, to feel the overwhelming desolation in their heart for once? They have never asked for death, either. With unscrupulous veracity I confess that I have sinned. You have sinned. We have sinned together. Milton Friedman remarked, “Only a crisis-actual or perceived-produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable.” Now that we have been condemned to put up with the same fate of those animals, let us hope and reflect on a new order of life that respects the animal kingdom.
By the same token, I, regretfully, cannot say much in praise of our collective enterprise to safeguard our natural environment; for our foolish transgressions have far exceeded our acts of grace. Our whole civilization is unsustainable. Calculated by the Global Footprint Network, Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year far surpasses what Earth can regenerate in that particular year. Having cummulated a galactic ecological deficit by drawing down the ecological reserve life as a planetary process built up over 3.8 billion years of life’s evolution on Planet Earth, we perpetuate this deficit by liquidating stocks of ecological resources, defying the food chain and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since 1988, a mere 100 companies have been responsible for 71% of the entire world’s greenhouse gas emissions with China Coal (14.3%) topping the list. How is this acceptable? We glory in the continuity of our species, turning a blind eye to the irredeemable destruction we are triggering. But when any whole nation becomes the victim of the destructive powers of exterior agents like the Coronavirus, then indeed man shrinks into insignificance, he feels his tenure of life threatened, his inheritance on Earth cut off. Because we refuse to brave, we refuse to act, we refuse to bend down, the Universe will teach us our priorities in hard ways.
In different degrees, in every part of the town, in every country, men and women are yearning for a reunion. Most of us are longing intensely for an absent one, for the pleasant warmth of a beloved’s body pressed against our own, for an affectionate hug. Yet, such is the absurdity of human nature that during our normal day, there is always something more important to do, more important to say-but “I love you” is not one of those things. Let us live for each other and for happiness; let us seek peace in our dear home, near the inland murmur of the streams, and the gracious waving of the trees, the beauteous vesture of Earth, and the sublime pageantry of the skies. As we woefully bid a heavy farewell to our family members and friends, let us, on all counts, renounce this false grandeur of ego, vanity and rivalry. This pandemic is no respecter of people. Under its despotical rule, everyone from the high man on the totem pole down to the almsperson is under sentence. Notice how we have ceased to choose for ourselves. Coronavirus has leveled out discrimination-and for the first time, I observe impartial justice reigning in the world. Nothing lasts forever, be it good or bad. Things will improve, but let not humanity be so far disgraced in the future, as to have it imagined that it can be without love or friendship.
At the peak of Coronavirus to the shrill crescendo of humanity’s universal cry for fairness and mercy, it produces a sentiment of gladness in me to discover the constellations of solidarity, altruism and improvisation that lie dormant within us to reappear. There are philanthropists around the world who are making real contributions for an eleemosynary purpose. Let me just give you the example of Italy, one of the worst infected countries: Giorgio Armani has given over $2.2 millions to hospitals in Milan and Rome. Altogether, Italy’s billionaires have given more than $45 million in donations to hospitals, healthcare facilities and government agencies since the crisis began in February. Even our local community has to be lauded. It is emboldening to see people sharing food, fruits and vegetables among themselves during this period of confinement. There are hotel owners around the world who have voluntarily come forward with their plan to set up their hotels as Coronavirus quarantine centres. Our frontline soldiers: the doctors and the police deserve unmeasured adulations. All these gestures of civic spirit, of kindness scream, “We are in this together”.
Will my readers ask how I find solace amidst the endless bombardment of tall stories, false information; how am I coping with the feel of loneliness by being cut off from the rest of the world? I, quite frankly, avow that I have not been unmoved by the development of the tale; and that I have been melancholic, at worst, disappointed. I meditate and send positive, healing energy to the Universe. I do deep breathing exercises and yoga, especially the sun salutation daily in the morning to reduce anxiety. I practise zumba as a form of indoor sports as well as I listen to soothing music to calm my nerves. I make sure that I am spending quality time with my family and with my dog, Oscar. I read books. I keep pace with the latest progress regarding Coronavirus from reliable sources. As any law-abiding citizen, I comply with directives of the government to the letter because during such uncertain times, the least desirable sequela is social unrest. And lastly, journaling is a form of relaxation which allows me to shut off the external, to order the chaos in my mind and to connect with myself.
Albert Camus asserted that there is no love of life without despair of life. Let us seize this very moment to become more intimate with our sense of being, to awaken our purpose and use this knowledge as a tool to dismantle the old ways of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and thinking. Earth is a living system, an immense organism, still developing, regulating itself, making its own oxygen, maintaining its own temperature, keeping all its infinite living parts fundamentally connected and interdependent, including us. It can keep us awake and jubilant with questions for millennia ahead if we learn not to meddle and not to destroy. I hope what lies ahead of us is the promise of a truly regenerative, collaborative, just, peaceful and equitable human civilization, backed by the increscent strength of our force and of our determined wills. Hope springs eternal in the human breast. At this unprecedented turn of events, let us hope for the best, and be prepared for the worst.
Please share your thoughts on the Coronavirus. How is the quarantine period going on in your country? What gives you strength? What renews your faith? What are the challenges that you are facing? What changes in your current lifestyle do you wish to bring about in the wake of this macabre pandemic crisis? Or, leave a personal message for us. Remember: we are in this together; it is nothing but our togetherness that will overpower the Coronavirus.
Love & Light,
The Little Mermaid
Unfortunately, I see a divide much along the lines you state. There are some who will “get it” and understand that we live in a unified system that is interconnected. Others will simply panic and cling to their own individualized perceived need. It seems to be human behavior. Nature will always be; its lessons may be hard.
I agree, though, that this is also a great opportunity to “seize this very moment to become more intimate with our sense of being, to awaken our purpose and use this knowledge as a tool to dismantle the old ways of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and thinking.” And some will who never have before! Let us have some hope for that! We are in this together.
Dear Keerferton,
I, most clemently, would like to spell out that in theory and in practice, there will always be both proponents and opponents of any cause, philosophy or system of ideas. Now the veridicality that: ”In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not…” is yet another contention. The point of substance in this writing is that ”we” stands for humanity which exists as a single unit, in its entirety, indiscriminately; and I reiterate, ”we”, as a whole, have got it wrong.
It is 2020 and the paradigm shift is real. We are all now being called, and challenged to rise out of the limited mindsets of the past, out of hard-shell parochialism, and choose to live in a novel way. Only a transformative response to climate change, resource depletion, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and unsustainable inequality will herald the beginning of what Thomas Berry called the Ecozoic. Simply being sustainable is no longer enough! We have done so much damage already that the high-priority focus of human industry from here on has to be effective regeneration of the ecosystem and the planetary health.
We are capable of co-creating abundance for all of humanity and the whole community of life, yet we need a new story for humanity — a story where we are no longer ‘masters of nature’ but regard ourselves as humble apprentices of nature. We have to learn biomimicry’s central lesson: “Life creates conditions conducive to life” (Benyus, 1997). I am very taken with the decision of the lawmakers in Shenzhen to ban the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat as from 01 May 2020. It was about time they implemented it. I hope more Chinese cities follow the style of Shenzhen for the respect and love of mankind.
I send you love and light during these tough times. Please be safe, my dear! We are in this together! X
You have certainly been thinking about a lot of things in your loneliness, Urvashi. There are so many things to ponder in these trying times. Since we live in semi-isolation as a matter of course, I haven’t had problems with loneliness. I step out the door and I’m surrounded by wildlife and nature. I also have my kitties and birds that keep me company and busy caring for them. I seem to have an endless list of things to do to keep me busy. The new Covid-19 world order doesn’t feel like a huge change for the time being. I wish you well. Stay safe and keep thinking and pondering the wonders of life, the universe, and everything. Tim
Hello Tim, how is life sailing?
Oh! I cannot disprove your statement–being somewhat contemplative by nature, and being confined to my home at this very moment, I assent I have had a lot of time to indulge in some joyful do-nothingness and reflexivity. Haha!
May I know in what part of the world you do live? Nature is my best friend. You are truly lucky to be near the richest woodland, to wake up to the lilting melody of the dawn chorus and to bask in the singularly pure, freshened air. Make hay while the sun shines!
Stay safe you too! I send you my heartiest wishes.
I live in Corrales, New Mexico, USA.
Thanks for caring deeply and sharing your honest reflections on the state of the world due to our human folly and greed. I hope that this serves as a wake up call for us to live more simply and in tune with the earth. If you’re interested, I wrote a post called Recrafting Our World.
Hugs and blessings, Brad
Hello Brad! Thank you for appreciating my writing.
I’m glad to learn that we read from the same page. The Coronavirus is esoterically symbolic in that it is actually making humanity move slower, stay home, be inside with the family, and provide space to be alone, and be okay with that. We can all learn how to balance, come to grips with fears– including fears of death and of dying, realize that work, money, and life can go on, and that we can do acts of self-care while still having an enjoyable life.
The time is now to open our minds to new feasibilities. Just see how the once unworkable, ‘economically impossible’ is now workable and ‘economically possible’. Positions are shifting. Libertarian governments are curtailing freedom more prohibitively than wartime leaders. Austerity conservatives are approving trillions of dollars for healthcare and emergency spending. Small-state advocates are being forced into massive interventions. Leading business publications are calling for a deep reform of capitalism. Most importantly, the political focus has shifted from individual consumption to collective well-being.
I believe that a better way of life is indeed possible. These past 100 days have changed the way we think about change. If there is no political pressure on governments, the world will go back to unsustainable business as usual rather than emerge with a healthier sense of what is normal. We must therefore be the new change, create the new change, and live the new change. I will read your post during the day.
I send you much love. Stay safe! X
Thank you. I like your perspective and hope you’re right about it bringing large shifts in our economic, political, and health systems.
Ooooooooo-ey! Scanning as this is a rare point yes, you undercooked my interests to the point you might have to offer a dark alley as oooooey did this read weepie! I’m gonna skip my initial question as it’s unnecessary and rude. Talk about trying to oil you up anyways!
K – you know I’m already contrary so I’m just gonna get it said. Greenhouse gasses. Hell even WATER is under circumstances, a greenhouse gas. Next, all this … Excrement….. That city life is suddenly clean with fewer cars on the road…crap, the larger pollutor but exponents is a coal fired city powerplant…and if nuclear, just let them glow with effing pride til the hundreds of years waste they gotta sort out. Next up is actual pollution whereby our volcanoes just one can happily outdo all the Earth’s civilization s… I mean what lies and shades of understanding we are given.!. Now this said it’s beautiful out. Semi safely I went out.
Now that I’m a huge dinner
Join me in a drinky-poo. Ya ya just like before well gather safely….but you can smile at least ;). Talk about peopletime savings!! I can save a few sessions of therapy as I didn’t have to suffer them! Gratitude.
Now just cause volcanoes outdo us doesn’t mean we must flourinate natural gas (make c f c’s- freeon being the air-conditioning refrigerant or part two of our ways to wreck our world in blissful comfort. Oooo r-12! It’s r-134a nowadays thank goodness. It’s less toxic). And I know soon enough you might….if I behave a little….consider coffee should I get closer. And maybe you’ll take this here virtual hug seriously!
We may be the virus that plagues the natural world.
Looking at the situation objectively without preconceptions or resentments which commonly obfuscate our reasoning, it is most likely that humanity is the villain of the piece.
As cities and, in the majority of cases, entire nations weather the pandemic under lockdown, Earth-observing satellites have detected a significant decrease in the concentration of nitrogen dioxide which enters the atmosphere through emissions from cars, trucks, buses, and power plants. According to an analysis by Marshall Burke, a professor in Stanford’s Earth-system science department, a pandemic-related reduction in particulate matter in the atmosphere—the deadliest form of air pollution—likely saved the lives of 4,000 young children and 73,000 elderly adults in China over two months this year. He also determined that the reductions in air pollution in China caused by this economic disruption likely saved 20 times more lives in China than have currently been lost due to infection with the virus in that country. Moreover, Indian residents can now visibly see the towering peaks of the Himalayas from Northern India for the first time in 30 years, after a massive drop in pollution caused by the country’s Coronavirus lockdown.
People make a lot of noise. Cars rumbling along streets, planes roaring overhead, feet slapping the sidewalk—these and other actions create countless tiny vibrations in the ground. Seismologists around the world have noticed that there is less rumbling on the surface of the Earth.
Research has shown that ambient noise from ships and other maritime traffic increases stress-hormone levels in marine creatures, which subsequently affect their reproductive success. Whales have even shown they can adapt to the din, pausing their singing when cargo ships are near and resuming when they move away. Nowadays, the oceans are quieter too. Just pulling those cruise ships out of the water has reduced the amount of global ocean noise almost instantaneously.
Coyotes, normally timid of traffic, have been spotted on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco. Deers are grazing near Washington homes a few miles from the White House. Wild Boar are becoming bolder in Barcelona and Bergamo, Italy. In Wales, peacocks have strutted through Bangor, goats through Llandudno and sheep have been filmed on roundabouts in a deserted playground in Monmouthshire. These are rare, miraculous occurrences around the world.
When humans have retreated, nature is healing itself. In nature, some trees need fire for their seeds to sprout; maybe we need everything we know to ‘burn’ so that we can start afresh as a civilised, eco-conscious humanity.
Stay safe, Rich! X
It’s so good to be in touch again, Sirenita. Hugs and kisses!🌷🌷
Hey my darling Richhhh! How I’ve missed you! What are you doing in confinement?
Thank you for the lovely roses. That’s so nice of you. I send you lots of love, positivity and healing vibes. Stay safe! X
Hey my one and only Sirenita, I can’t believe I’ve stayed away for so long. You are often on my mind and I’ve missed you so much! If I knew your address the flowers would have been real. Sending lots of love your way, sweetheart.🌷🌷😘
Stay well!
Hello Darren, thank you for the good wishes. Do you have any book writing project in the pipeline? Please take care and keep safe you too.
All the best X
My editor is putting the finishing touches on my newest book, Montagnard, a sequel to my first novel and a multi-national action, adventure, romance.
And, I am indeed doing my best to stay well. Thanks for asking.
Best wishes,
Darren
So many important points. Bravo. Stay safe, Little Mermaid.
Thank you Jane. You take care of yourself, too.
Love and light X
Sending virtual hugs. Maybe the world will be a cleaner place with less pollution? Stay safe. X
Hopefully we will learn from this. Also the big bosses and politicians. Do keep safe. Xx
Thank you for the concern. Yes, hopefully we will learn our lessons this time.
I’m currently reading ‘Unrestricted Warfare: China’s Master Plan To Destroy America’ co-written by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, ‘Death by China’ authored by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry and ‘Crouching Tiger: What China’s Militarism Means for the World’ again written by Professor Peter Navarro who is presently serving in the Trump administration as the Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and the National Defense Production Act policy coordinator.
Please keep safe, you too. I send you lots of love and healing vibes from afar. X
I know in my heart that good will come from all of the suffering this pandemic is causing. The good in people is shining through! We are so grateful for our gift of faith. Our family has been “attending “mass virtually , listening to beautiful homilies, and music! Stay well!
Well said. In the Bahamas where we are still recovering from Hurricane Dorian, this pandemic is a blow. We have a very small number of persons infected but again we are a small nation. We too are under quarantine measures and it has not been easy for our people. The horrid rumors going around via social media is despicable and disturbing. Rumors of food deficiency and growing number of cases are sending people to food stores in droves and the lines are miles long. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a archipelago of islands and i miss traveling to my beautiful Family islands for solitude and the freshest air on this side of the world. I live in the capital New Providence and today the beach in my area that are over populated on a regular day is empty. The air is fresh and crisp … earth is indeed healing itself. I miss seeing my family and friends and having a nice skinny bitch …. lol (all bars are closed)! The great thing is we have had no deaths to date, thank God. I am on IG so i post daily inspirational quotes on my story or one of my yoga workouts. It is definitely a trying time to be alive but we will get through this and hopefully as one people united for a better world!
As sad as it is to see our country in this state, it’s also kind of beautiful watching everyone come together and slow down all at once. Stay safe girl!
Hello again, Urvashi. I am so glad to read you are safe & well. I’m in Dallas, Texas where we are under “Stay-In-Place” orders. Happy to do so. I’m a follower of Jesus. This means I makes others my concern before myself. It also means I should practice caring for what others are hurting over, even though it may not be of my personal circle of thought. COVID-19 gives me a perfect opportunity to connect with many I may not do in healthier days. I know Who holds tomorrow, so I can face what comes, while living others more than myself. Love & joy in darkened times, Alan
I deeply appreciate you speaking up and telling the unpopular truth: we, the humanity, as a kind, are crappy beings. I agree with that wholeheartedly! Thank you for reminding about the sufferings – too often by our own hands – of out little brothers, the animals, for we are too consumed with fear for the destruction of our comfortable lifestyle to give a thought to anything else. Thank you for pointing out – again! – that is the industry that is predominantly responsible for the damage to our ecology and no amount of eco-friendly personal choices will result in measurable impact. Only collectively we as a community stand a chance to win our planet over.
We are witnessing a redistribution of power in the world: economically, socially and maybe even politically. We are reminded of the true values over consumerism, and our humanity (adj.) is being tested against our primal instincts.
I personally am among the lucky few whose livelihood has not been impacted by the pandemic and economical collapse, for which I am humbly grateful. I find myself enjoying this quarantine as a quiet, no rush time that I spend with my family and indulge in self-betterment. I wrote about it last night. I would be happy if you stopped by, too!
https://storieswithluna.wordpress.com/2020/03/29/self-reflection-saturday-enjoy-this-quarantine/
Stay positive, stay safe!
As you say there’s more going on than Corona, the way we live is being stood up to account. I hope you’re keeping well Mermaid 🙂
Hello Simon,
Today, I am fine. I am not sure if tomorrow will augur well but then, isn’t life itself inherently risky? No one is promised tomorrow. How are you?
That’s right. The way we have been living- with crass ignorance, with stiff-necked individualism and with a sense of moral disengagement in what concerns the living world has cost us dearly. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), by 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas. But who really cares apart from a handful of ultra-rich persons who can afford to exercise environmentally-preferred purchasing? The ordinary persons either wallow in their nesicence or they may be so taken with the daily struggles of their life that the environment takes a backseat in their agenda.
Post Covid-19, we should introduce the concept of mindful consumption (MC) as the guiding principle in our approach. MC is premised on a consumer mindset of caring for self, for the community, and for nature, that translates behaviorally into tempering the self-defeating excesses associated with acquisitive, repetitive and aspirational consumption. In addition, growing one’s own produce is a worthwhile pursuit either as a hobby or as a full-time paid job.
Old ways will not open new doors. Let us hope for things to change positively after the dusk of this global dilemma. Keep safe, my dear!
This is the revolution that precedes the evolution. I only hope we are evolving into a better world; A kinder world; A world where we see one another as sisters and brothers and where ‘we’ is more important than ‘you’ and ‘me’. You write with such caring and feeling. Thank you.
One thing this virus has done for me it to appreciate God more and to draw nearer to him. Appreciate my family and everyone and to understand the love we have for one another. I pray for everyone (stranger and friends) and call now to check on them. In this trying times, we just need to accept Him and know that he only has the answer to this suffering the whole word is going thru. I just pray for His forgiveness and restoration of peace and health for the whole world. What is going on is so devastating and affects all of us. I have tried to no longer watch that counter on the news channel. All it does is breathe fear and I refused to be fearful but be hopeful in the power in the name of Jesus.