There are a number of very difficult stressors happening simultaneously in our world. While not every person or group of people is impacted equally, the combined influence of these stressors affects almost everyone in some substantial way. That such a large percentage of the population is under this level of duress at the same time is really quite extraordinary and deserving of our attention and care. That last statement can be read as coming from a privileged perspective because marginalized communities have always been under duress. It didn’t start with COVID-19. While that is true, the breadth of the current unrest is still worthy of consideration for everyone.
These stressors include economic collapse, social unrest, political turmoil, climate change/biosphere collapse, and last but not least, the global COVID-19 pandemic. There are a number of ways in which each of these areas overlaps with, gives rise to, and is affected by the others. On a holistic level, one can’t really separate them. As a way to understand the depth and complexity of our situation, separating them out may be helpful.
We may have become inured to each of these stressors as they’ve arisen, accompanied by a sense of shock and jolting our collective world. Over time, the initial distress goes underground and the situation becomes part of the fabric of our day-to-day reality. What was novel and occupied so much of our attention becomes just “how things are.” Although we may not register the full scope and weight of the current situation consciously, our nervous systems, thoughts, and emotions most certainly are reacting.
Given this reality, a few things come to mind that may be useful/helpful. The first is to take care of ourselves as much as possible. This includes eating well, sleeping enough, exercising, fostering relational connections, fully engaging in Dharma practice (which, of course, encapsulates all of these areas), and participating in the world in a way that feels right, balanced, and sustainable.
We can ask ourselves, “What is my practice with each of these areas or as a whole?” This is a time when we need, and the world needs, our practice more than ever. I’m not going to lay out what these practices might be (although compassion and kindness towards ourselves and others is always a sure bet). You know best where it’s most supportive for you to lean into. The critical point is to have clarity about what the most skillful practices for you are in this time, and to have a clear intention to engage in those practices.
Fundamentally, nothing has really changed AND so much has changed. Situations like these come and go as conditioned reality continues to unfold in its own dependent co-arising way. Our job is to keep steady and to develop the path with patience and perseverance. No matter what, our practice of cultivating the Eightfold Path is the key to navigating our lives and our world with wisdom and compassion.