Corona wakes us up.
Out of our repetitive patterns.
Out of 'more'
Into 'less'
It slows us down.
A stop of our maddening 'push for more'.
It makes you aware of how difficult it has gotten
to be in silence with your partner
to be in silence with your kids
to be in silence with yourself.
But what has this push for more done for you?
Has the material wealth made you happier?
Has the time-pressure made you more loving?
Has the availability of constant distraction resolved your issues?
Has consuming more been good for the planet?
Has your job served the planet?
A time to reflect on life.
And to see what less has given us:
Appreciating the beauty of local nature, when before exploring was only done when far away from home.
Clear skies that used to be smog-filled for decades.
Neatly cleaned houses and gardens, and an opportunity to let go of the piled-up excessive stuff we no longer use.
People we got to meet during walks in our own neighbourhood, which used to be strangers.
Plenty of time to play with pets and kids, which used to be often impossible because of all the other things you needed to do.
Car-free roads which used to be filled with traffic jams.
You finally were able to do all those things in the 'not urgent' section of your to-do-list.
You became aware of how much you need people around you, of how much you value friendship and love. A looking forward to practising hobbies with others, for alone is just not the same. While before we would only allocate the leftovers of our time to friends and love.
Slowing down is what the planet needs to recover.
Slowing down is what your mind needs for self-improvement towards inner peace and balanced relationships.
The solution of the human mind to problems that we face is:
'more'
Be it power, beauty, wealth or comfort.
The mind doesn't offer real solutions, only lies that keep you occupied.
And deep down, you know it's not true.
That fancier car is not going to make you happier, 5 kg of extra muscle is not either.
Though your mind has an arsenal of arguments why this should be your next goal in life.
Capitalism firmly agrees with the human mind.
Our governing system is excited to turn back the clock to the pre-corona-time.
And with this continuing to kill 'life as we know it' in its unending quest for more.
But this is the time for the human race to stop being a virus to the planet.
Ironic that we needed a virus to make us aware of this.
But maybe this is the purpose of this virus?
Consuming less is not easy though.
Our minds are designed to always want more, to never be satisfied.
We made our environment toxic: it is rare to not be primed through digital or real-life showcases of things/experiences that you might desire.
So capitalism enlarges this innate urge even more.
Well taught meditation and embodied practices (like yoga, kung-fu, tai chi, ...) are the key to obtaining more control over your mind. Obtaining more control through controlling less.
So perhaps it is time to try something new?
To overcome the flaws of our own humanity.
To no longer be dominated by our own minds.
To learn to feel bliss without all these things that you need to accomplish and have before you can finally feel this.