1. When do we love?
In a nutshell, all the time. However, like me you may be challenged to see love in all the circumstances within what I am calling the pandemic mind. It is not hard to succumb to the pandemic mind and often it happens without conscious thought, so no-one should feel bad or shame for getting stuck here from time to time.
The goal is once you know you are there, take steps the get out of there. The pandemic mind is built around model of fear, fear of death and dying, fear of lack of provision, fear of suffering loss, fear of well just about anything. Look at it this way if it helps.
A person is afraid to leave their home to go to the store to get food because well they could become exposed to COVID19 and then they could get sick, and then they could die. So they stay at home and focus on this fear.
Now they may or may not order food delivered but let us take this to the extreme for a moment. Let us say they don’t order food because the shopper or preparer may have encountered COVID19 and be carrying it inside them or on their person.
Therefore, they are not going to order food from a stranger, so they need to find another way, family perhaps. Yes, but what happens if the family (nuclear or extended) gets exposed and brings it back, or what happens if they get in an accident and get exposed, or are pulled over for speeding and get exposed, as everyone knows first responders will likely have been exposed.
Now I need to stop here for a moment in my musing and say a very heartfelt thank you to all first responders during this pandemic, you do and serve out of love and that is amazing, thank you very much for all you do.
Back to my musing about when do we love during a pandemic and some (albeit extreme) examples of the pandemic mind, that eliminates the possibility of provisions through the following means:
- Going to the store by themselves
- Ordering from the store for delivery
- Having family go to the store in their place
- Have a neighbor got to the store for them
- Having meals delivered from restaurants
- Having a service (no matter how protected and safe they are) go to the store
Basically, all it does is leave a person caught in this trap of the pandemic mind to slowly starve and die. So, this is not a time when someone can think of love, because at this point, they are only focused on themselves.
Truth be told, it is to these folks we who love are called to serve and help, even if they are unable to receive it, we must provide it nonetheless.
Another brief pause for a disclaimer and word of common sense. If a person suffering from the pandemic mind is of advanced age or already has a compromised immune system, or for any other reason is in that realm of higher risk of contraction of the virus than many others. Then they should take all necessary precautions to protect themselves while being aware of the telltale trap of the extreme possibility of the pandemic mind. Here common sense is the key. Also do not suffer alone, reach out for help, for someone to talk to, do not embrace a hermit lifestyle Read about the next 5 questions
