Stuck In An Ocean of Confusion…

In the twenty three years I’ve been here, I have never seen anything like this. The whole world is in a place of uncertainty. We are outwardly directed and yet inwardly confused. We are scared, we are afraid, we are confused and in the midst of confusion, it’s hard to remain calm and it’s hard to be kind.
It’s hard to remain happy when you’re inwardly confused. It’s hard to see the good when the world around you is falling into chaos. When things get tough, it’s common for us to only be aware of our flaws.

This virus…it does not discriminate. This isn’t something that’s only affected white people, or black people, or brown people. Rich or poor, illiterate or educated, man or woman, Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist- all of us have been affected.
Regardless of race, nationality, creed or country.
Regardless of social status or religious background.
There have been ripple effects in our communities, our financial structures, our learning and education, our spiritual journeys, our families and businesses. We are all affected.

It’s like we are stuck in the middle of this giant ocean; tired and exhausted, confused and lost, surrounded on all sides by water. In our minds we know that there’s land beyond the water.
But how do we get to it? Where do we go? Which route do we take? Which voice do we listen to?
Which instructions do we follow? Who do we go with? Do we move as a team? Or as individuals, relying on our own strengths? How do we get to the land?

As we continue to wander around in this giant ocean, we realize that time hasn’t come to a standstill.
Every morning, the sun continues to rise and every evening, it sets. Life is blossoming around us; birds are singing in the air, rain pours down to water the trees and forests that surround us. Yet while time moves forward, we remain stuck in the middle of this giant ocean; hopeless, uncertain, anxious, and afraid.

However, this is my hope…
That you can hang onto faith.

I hope that instead of complaining about being asked to stay home, you think about all the people and children that are homeless right now. I hope you remember that there are children left abandoned on streets and children feeling violence and abuse. I hope that you spare a thought for the families living beneath some tent in a refugee camp, in a world that’s focusing all its resources on fighting this pandemic. After you think about that, I hope that you remember to be grateful for the roof above your head, the bed or couch you sleep on and the security of four walls.

While you sit around your home and send off some tweet, complaining about why this is happening to you and why your stuck home, not able to go out to your favorite restaurant, I hope you remember the financially crippled, the street children, the people in shelters, the people that rely on someone else’s generosity to have a meal, the people that live hand to mouth. Because for some, food- especially in times like these- is a luxury that isn’t guaranteed everyday. After you think about that, I hope that you remember to be grateful for the food on your plate.

While you complain about working from home, I hope you remember the jobless, the qualified but unemployed, the small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat and the people that have lost their jobs. I hope you spare a thought for the people that cannot afford not to work or the ones without paid leave. After you think about that, I hope you remember to be grateful for the security your job provides.

My hope is that from this moment onwards, we value the hard workers around us, the people that occupy jobs that we as a society tend to undermine; the cleaners and cooks, the nurses and drivers, the delivery men/women, cashiers, caretakers, garbage men, cooks, supermarket attendants, food vendors on the street and boda boda drivers. I hope that when all this is over, we remember that in this giant ocean of confusion that we are in, some of the worst paid people in our societies were the most vital in keeping our communities afloat.

I hope that throughout this we learn gratitude, that we learn the preciousness of human life, that we learn to truly value the people around us; our friends, our families, our children, our parents, and our grandparents. I hope that we appreciate the gift of connection, whether that’s by looking away from our phones long enough to actually talk to the person sitting next to us or reaching out to friends and family across borders. I hope that we never take physical human connection for granted ever again; hugs, handshakes, a kiss on the forehead…I hope that we can realize what’s truly important. Us. Each Other. Every life is precious.

I hope that we hang onto faith. I know that not everybody reading this is particularly religious but whether you are or aren’t, I hope that you take some time off to pray. We’ve been told to wash our hands like 20 times a day, what if we prayed just as much? Or spent some time just praying for people out there that have lost loved ones? Or those fighting the virus? Those without homes or food? Those struggling with mental illnesses I’m a time like this? Those loosing hope…

We might be stuck in a giant ocean but we know that there’s land that we can get to by working together and collectively doing what we ought to do to keep each other safe. We all know deep down that this too shall come to an end. And when it does, I hope that we are a bit kinder and more forgiving, more compassionate and understanding, if anything, I hope that we can learn one simple truth from all this-
Everything is simply on loan to us for this lifetime. Everything…

With All My Love_S
Keep hanging onto hope.
P.S; I promise to keep showing up here, hopefully with words that will inspire your own hope. You’re not alone. None of us are…

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