My wife shared a post with me recently around COVID’s affect on humans vs its affect on the Earth.
To summarize what she shared with me –
COVID has thrown humanity for a spin, yet Mother Earth is just fine. In fact, it demonstrates how much Mother Earth does not need us as humans, yet we desperately rely on her for everything.
In short, the Earth itself is completely fine and unchanged during this mess… yet humans are in a state of crisis and adaptation.
That’s pretty powerful if you really sit with. I found this so fascinating that I decided to go deeper… and take some real time to reflect on the topic.
I believe there’s some intended significance around this in ways we cannot comprehend yet. For example, COVID could easily be interpreted as a “cleansing” of ill human activity. Regardless of exactly how the virus started, it was indeed started by humans. There’s no denying that. So in a way we’re now paying for those actions. Mother Earth is teaching us a lesson and forcing us to change behavior.
Again, sit what that for a moment before you jump to make excuses or arguments…
A few other things that are now running through my mind –
1) It’s time to re-connect to Mother Earth.
COVID has forced many of us to disconnect from normal routines and find other ways to use our time. As a result, I think this is a perfect opportunity to re-connect with Mother Earth in new ways. Some ideas for you:
- Observe the sun rise. It’s still one of the most beautiful phenomena we have.
- Get outside every morning and ground yourself (barefooted) before starting your day.
- Take walks daily. Turn off the music or podcast every now and then and just be present with silence in your walk.
- Lay in some grass and experience how it really feels. It’s much better than any rug you can buy 🙂
- Observe the sun set. Use it as an opportunity to thank Mother Earth for another great experience.
2) It’s time to take ownership of this planet.
This was inspired by a recent TED talk we watched:
A poet’s plea to save our planet (IN-Q)
We often refer to Mother Earth as “the Earth” instead of “my Earth.” Yet we hold entitlement for so many less valuable things – i.e. my breakfast, my pants, my house, my city, etc.
Why don’t we take ownership of the most important thing we have beyond family? It’s time to start saying, “my Earth” if you intend to keep living on it.
3) It’s time to pay attention to waste.
Every day we create massive amounts of waste. We throw things into the garbage unconsciously, we let things slide down our drains without thinking, and we litter the Earth as if it’s always going to clean up after us. This has to stop, and it has to stop now.
Take time to think about your actions and how they impact your future and generations to come. Nobody is going to clean your shit up. You need to take responsibility for that NOW.
4) It’s time to become grateful.
While COVID has presented lots of heartache, limitation and uncertainty – it’s also given us some things [like this] to think about and be grateful for. If nothing else, we should be grateful for Mother Earth. She provides a place for us to live every single day.
Do not take that for granted.
Ali Jafarian
Ali is a father, husband and serial entrepreneur with a deep drive to create. He writes, records, codes and builds things to inspire the artist in all of us.
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