Practice Love, Not Fear

Covid-19 is not something we can personally ‘control’ and so it creates fear – fear of the unknown, fear of consequences, fear of deprivation and suffering.

These are strange times we are currently living in and many people have been overtaken with fear and panic.  There is panic buying in the supermarkets, with people fighting over toilet paper and people buying more than they need.  There is fear in people’s hearts about what may befall them, and this is especially true for the elderly and the health-compromised.

Snapdragons and Lavender

A certain amount of fear is healthy and a natural reaction to any situation that could potentially cause us harm.  It is a signal that we should remove ourselves from the situation or take steps to ensure our safety.  But when fear takes over it becomes unreasonable and prevents rational thinking and planning.

Panic has fear as its root cause.  People want to know they are safe and can care for themselves and their families.  There is a fine line between panic buying and reasonably wanting to provide for your family in times of hardship.

Some type of aloe, I think

Many people are aware of the Law of Attraction, which states that what you concentrate on most is what will happen in your life.  It doesn’t always work, as time and chance can happen to anyone, but it can affect how you respond to uncontrollable events.   

Imagine if we replaced fear with love.  Instead of grabbing supermarket items off other people, we would all be taking only our reasonable share and leaving plenty for others (a lot of supermarkets have now introduced rationing to force this principle into action).

Imagine if we all stopped fearing for ourselves in this pandemic and began to care more for those around us.  We wouldn’t see young party-goers on TV saying they didn’t care if they got sick because they were young and would get over it – they would have more concern about spreading the virus to others.

Agapanthus

Fear is a horrible emotion to suffer from long-term.  It causes worry and depression and a feeling of things being totally out of hand.  If we could turn it around and practice love/joy, to concentrate on good things instead of bad, then we would find more happiness in our daily lives and could be rationally prepared for when things go wrong.

I think what I am trying to say is that we need to understand that there is a crisis occurring in our communities and we need to be prepared on a practical basis.  This should not be driven by a fear of the unknown, but by a recognition that we should be responsible in caring for ourselves.

Sunset after a storm (2007)

Let’s concentrate on good things in our lives so we can create more good things.  Enjoy the beauty of the weather (yes, even the rain and snow), take time to really look at and appreciate the natural world around us, sit and watch the sun as it sets (or rises), watch comedies and funny movies, read light-hearted books, smile at each other, and use modern technology to stay in touch with friends and family.

We had a few showers here this morning, but now the sun is shining and I thought a couple of colourful photos might help on the cheerfulness front. 

Margaret J



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