Confessions of a Late Nite Covid 19 Observer

Italians Making Music to Soothe One Another During Pandemic Quarantine

The first time I ever heard the Chinese Blessing "May you live in interesting times." I thought, the only people who would think that was a blessing are bored rich people. Apparently we are quite blessed, as the major adjective we could use to describe these days would be "interesting." Each and every time there is some sort of crisis, I wonder, what exactly is the spiritual world trying to convey to us? What is the deeper message?

When I watched the second plane crash into the World Trade Center Tower, my immediate thought was, wow, all the centers of American imperialistic power and materialism have been challenged; the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. It seems I was right in the message, which was inflicted by a terrorist group, to "send a message" to America to stop the oppression of the military and economic injustice. Unfortunately, on a large scale the message was not understood, there was no self reflection as to how such a tragedy happened, and we really did not learn anything of substance. We were told to go shopping and that others hated our "way of life." 

Years ago, my priest at the time and I were discussing the state of the world. She remarked that we were really mimicking the Roman Empire. In the hey day of Rome, which lead to the downfall of the mighty empire, the practice was "bread and circus." The emperors thought if you entertained people through circus and spectacle, and made sure their bellies were full, you could get the population to go along with just about anything. In times of great crisis, the emperors hosted elaborate pageantry and feasting. In our age of endless internet access to entertainment and junk food, it seems the technique is still in practice. Entertain people, fill their bellies with cheap fast food and snacks and it really does not matter what the government is doing. So successful was this technique, that a mesmerized nation elected a taco bowl eating game show host to lead the oldest and most powerful democracy on earth. The "leader" essentially entertains while our institutions, civil rights and environment are being destroyed. No problem really, he continually entertains, distracts while our bellies are full, the stock market is booming, people have jobs to buy entertainment and junk food, all is well. Those suffering unspeakable horrors at the hands of this regime are simply either fake or irrelevant. 

Founder of Rudolf Steiner College in California and Christian Community Priest Carl Stegmann wrote a seminal book The Other America, outlining the deep mystical purpose of the United States of America in human evolution. His less known, but in my opinion most important work The Third Call explores the deep responsibility to live up to our purpose as Americans. Stegmann states that we have had two calls to step up, and if the next call is ignored, the purpose of this grand social experiment may not be fulfilled.

The three values that define the United States of America are Freedom, Equality and Community (formerly known as fraternity.) How can we be a community of free and equal people? Through deep, universal compassion, kindness and agape (universal love that Christ implores us to exhibit.) The United States values for the first time since the Christ Impulse in Palestine, were working to institute human dignity to all people regardless of ethnicity, religion, economic status and later race and gender

Since the 1960's there have been emerging movements in this particular aspect of human evolution, civil rights, women's rights and the rights of nature. Stegmann says that one of the greatest challenges to America is her focus on materialism. In fact, the spiritual task of the Americas is to transform matter, to recognize the spirit behind matter. Not only is America to do this, but the Nation and her people  are to serve as a model for all of human civilization as to the nature of the true community, of free and equal members of a human family, and to put the proper value on the material world. We need the material world, but to elevate it's riches in value at the expense of our neighbor and the health and well being of the earth is not the proper relationship to instill in this arena.

For decades we have had opportunities, calls to live up to the purpose of our times. We have had prophets such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr, Rachel Carson and others sounding the alarm, speaking up, leading entire movements mainly to guide humanity to live in a more equitable, just and harmonious with the planet way of life. But the adversarial powers are quite adept, mainly through bread and circus, to lull humanity into complacency as well as denial of the dignity of the other as well as our dependency on nature for our survival. How can we live without petroleum or pesticides? What about the jobs? My question is always, (which never gets answered) there is no economy or jobs without the environment.

I participated in a United Methodist Conference where there was a petition to add the phrase "explore more environmentally sound grounds keeping at churches." This was simply a suggestion to churches to see if there were less toxic ways to fertilize the grass and control weeds around church properties.  The purpose behind this initiative was to model responsible stewardship of the planet. We are Christians, we need to set examples of responsible harmonious living. I stood up and told of the dangers of pesticides, of how properly applied pesticides were killing farmworkers children, causing birth defects and polluting ground water. I ended my pitch with a statement from Sr Miriam Threse McGillis of Genesis Farm, how can we teach our children about God if we baptize them with polluted water? An elderly gentleman got up and said, "In a perfect world this business of environmentally sound lawn care is great, but if we start doing that then we will all pay $8 for a bottle of ketchup." Apparently being a Christian and loving one's neighbor was eclipsed by expensive condiments. As infuriating as his comments were, he was really embodying the deep value system of materialistic culture. The death and maiming of others is all ok as long as prices go down and those doing the destruction have jobs.

The current virus pandemic is interesting on several levels. The fact that it affects the lungs for me as a practitioner of Asian medicine, is particularly meaningful. Lungs in this paradigm are the house of the Coporeal Spirit. The Corporeal spirit refers to the the body, so it is the spirit of the body. The fact that the virus has been spread through the air, globally is also interesting. The emotion of the lungs is grief. While the world rages to make the economy, there is I feel a deep underlying grief that we are killing our planet. Our children are crying out to us to stop it, and we make fun of them or ignoring them because they apparently do not understand the realities of life. Our youth are full of grief for their uncertain futures and the loss of their innocence. All wars going on the planet at present have their basis on power over petroleum.

In all times of crisis, the time is also one of opportunity.

For years we have been begging governments to do something about dependence on petroleum. Climate change is a reality, and yet those in power work hard to distract from and undermine information and solutions to the problem. The petroleum causes the pollution in the air, the damage is affecting our atmosphere. There are no borders when it comes  to atmosphere, it is something we share with everyone from every nation, religion, gender. Since the outbreak of this virus and the global response, factories which pollute have been shut down, air travel is down, and air quality has improved. 

Everything about the current rush towards nationalism, separation and tribalism has been challenged by this virus. The virus is inspiring nations to work together, for people to care for one another, for  governments to look at how economic policies affect the most vulnerable amongst us.

Our dependence on technology to communicate has caused great isolation. Now, families will have to sit home together, talk to one another. We may need to read to one another, and enjoy tech free books to pass the time in isolation. We may have to cook and eat at home since usual fast food options may not be available.

The virus is illustrating the deep grief that is associated with destroying the planet and separating us from other nations, classes, religions, our family and those who are different.

There is a reason Christ spread his message through healing. When one is sick and in pain, one pays attention. We are physical beings, we experience life through our physical bodies. When we are in pain and heal, the opportunity is for deep life lessons.

The virus is affecting us in our bodies, sickening us in our bodies and will need to be healed in our bodies. The virus is harming our bodies to make us pay attention. The body is material, but also has a spiritual component.  One is not completely healed if the body without the spirit being healed. One can not heal in isolation, one is truly healed in context of the whole, body, mind, spirit and community.

No matter how we try, we can not separate ourselves from either the planet or one another. We are completely interdependent, we actually need one another.  We can only heal our bodies fully if we heal the planet and make sure our neighbor is well. We are actually our brother and sisters keeper. We are the planet's keeper. It is my hope that this opportunity that the planet has offered us, through this tiny virus affecting our atmosphere and lungs, that is crashing an economy that harms the vulnerable and the environment, that we look at ways to create harmonious ways to coexist with one another as well as with the planet. 

Be still and know I am God, I will be exalted in the Earth  Psalms 46:10

Divinity is aimed at Humanity 

                                                            Hildegard of Bingen

We have to sit still, we can not be entertained now, movies, sports, theme parks and talk shows have been cancelled. We can not go anywhere, we must be still and know there is something deeper to our lives, more powerful in the universe and that we are all connected. There is no bread and circus for the coming weeks. There is only now, only one another, only our thoughts and reflections. The virus is our opportunity to choose to live, the way we are living now is not conducive to life. The panic we witness is evidence that we do wish to live, and we can only live if we pay attention, if we love one another and we are responsible and caring for the planet.

Divinity thought enough of Humanity to create a universe for us to inhabit, Divinity is exalted on the Earth. How do we recognize this? By our deeds.

As I witness Italians singing to one another from their balconies to soothe one another during the crisis, I feel there is a deeper calling to the better nature of Humanity, that we recognize the Divinity in all of creation, and in everyone whom we meet, and act accordingly.