Everything can be taken from a Man but one thing:
The last of the Human Freedoms-
To choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, To choose one’s own way
Viktor Frankl.
Hoping everyone is doing well during these confusing and troubled times- our best wishes to everyone from us at the BC, especially to all the Doctors, nurses, janitors, all the people who work at the supermarket, all of those who unselfishly put their lives at risk for the rest of us.
Thank you.
I thought over the weekend about what could I write about the work we do- what could I share to get our minds off whatever we are dealing with, but as much as I tried to keep looking for ideas I couldn’t stop thinking about everything we have witnessed the last weeks not only as a society but as individuals. I’ve read a lot of articles, messages, listened to several podcasts and realized how vulnerable and fragile we really are in this era of technology. In my (almost) 45 years of existence, I don’t remember I’ve ever been forced to a self-imposed quarantine as a consequence of a shutdown due to disease. Add insult to injury, are the endless videos, texts, and warnings about the risks and consequences of social interaction as pointed out by specialists with the intention of isolating the virus, and yet we keep ignoring and disregarding them as a result of our stubbornness and fear of being alone. Last week somewhere between Wednesday and Thursday– it hit me, watching Disney closing down, Paris no longer a destination for lovers, New York finally sleeping and Rome’s joy for life violently stripped as a result of a complete shut down due to massive casualties among its population? (Italia, ti porto nel mio cuore) these were some of the scenes I never thought I would witness! I’ve also had a glimpse of our ugly side, a dark side exposed, how greed took over our psyche and exposed our fears, and displayed our most primitive nature- a complete disregard for our fellow brother and most important: our elders, making us forget the fact that some of us still have parents and grandparents, or the fact that one day, we, will be elders as well! Masses going into panic mode and stacking shopping carts- a surprising and yet confusing rush for toilet paper. Yes, Toilet Paper! What I’ve seen, can easily draw comparison from any movie about the Zombie Apocalypse, empty supermarket isles, scarce produce and groceries, despair and anxiety kicking in, our egos having a field trip! There is the always latent risk of contagion, there is isolation, loneliness there’s fear, there’s disease and yes- there’s death. It was then and only then that after synthesizing everything that I’ve seen and read up until that point that a moment of clarity, an epiphany in the form of a Paradox- assaulted me. Now, we got time, more than ever before- yet we are limited with whom we share it or enjoy it with. Maybe just maybe the Universe is trying to tell us that nothing we have or possess in life, whether it’s a job or a house, or even Time is worthwhile if we don’t have anyone to share it with. Let’s not get carried away and say this is the Apocalypse or the End of Times, but it can definitely be an opportunity to understand our real purpose during our time on Earth. When Europe is more affected than Africa, when a kiss or a hug becomes a weapon, when money is not enough to save you, when life as we knew it until now, stops abruptly for everyone and Time becomes punishment, it’s time to pause, do some soul searching and re-consider our purpose.
Maybe when we start to walk again, we’ll pace ourselves, closer to each other, more humble, more human.
Its time to pause and appreciate every new day we’re given as a new opportunity to start all over again
The Stoics used Memento Mori to invigorate life, and to create priority and meaning. They treated each day as a gift, and reminded themselves constantly to not waste any time in the day on the trivial and vain.