Turning a Page
I am sitting on the precipice of history, me and a billion other human beings awaiting our demise or return to life as we have known it to be. Life has come to a screeching halt and most of the worlds concerns such as global warming, sustainable living, healthcare equality etc are being addressed not out of concern but out of vital necessity. People are coming together making time for each other in crevices all over the world even when the life as they knew it is being redefined. Most tragedies have their triumphs, their lessons and their glimmers of light yet we must forget the suffering that occurs daily amongst humans is just as present now as it was 10, 20, 100 years ago. Although our awareness as a collective seems to be more empathetic to others suffering, during tragedies and loss. My heart aches for the people going to bed tonight with heavy hearts, the people who will not wake ever again and loved ones that are left behind with an emptiness this life may never replace.
My question to humanity is why must it take tragedy and loss in order to slow down, to feel more, to embrace others struggles and meet one another where they are at? Is it due to the collectiveness we are all sharing being quarantined in our homes or the vast amount of Hours we will now spend either in fear or acceptance? Its a question I often find myself pondering when challenges arise among communities or groups of individuals. It is a question I ask myself when considering how huge events in ones life can fade into a distant memory.
With theories, headlines and updates available to us at the click of a button I too find myself being enveloped in this new lifestyle we are all being called forth to adapt to. I find myself driving with all the windows down just to feel the wind in my face or lying down in the grass and closing my eyes while I breathe slowly in and out. Last week these simple things I took for granted. What I have come to realize is most things in life go unnoticed when we are moving and doing more than we are being. This moment we are currently in is forcing us to appreciate all we have and to realize what is really necessary and important in life. This moment we are in is regrouping the very meaning of what it means to be part of a collective in humanity.
I find myself mind boggled as a bereaved mother how I could have possibly forgotten the very importance of the wind, or grounding my feet into the earth, or what it means to embrace someone else in their happiness, sadness, joy or loss. Over the past few days I have marveled at the capacity the brain has to not forget but to quickly fall back into the daily routine of life once the world begins to calm. I have been hard on myself at times asking myself: How I could possibly have slipped into a phase that leaves me forgetting the very importance of each single moment? I am also humbly reminded that being human is very much so a human experience. Though we may learn lessons we are also bound to at times not practice or be distracted by the current states of our lives. My hope is that once this has past, once this tragedy is but a story being told for generations that we remember what it feels like to empathize with others, to meet others where they are, to work together to rebuild, to take what we need, to be mindful in our actions and to focus on what is really important in life. It is a collective shift in perspective that this world needs not only to save humanity but to save the planet and all it encompasses. May we remember that every moment is precious, every decision is impactful and that every living thing deserves a chance.
May you find love, light and peace today and for years to come.
Chloé Pestana