In difficult years the heart and mind find it hard to cope and retreating seems the right thing to do. The sudden rise of the pandemic and government restrictions provided rest to a worn out populous. Working from home or not working at all settled in. Children studying in their own environments reconnected families and reaffirmed what parents were working for. Love, safety and togetherness in frightening circumstances gave light to many needed changes. Just small things around the house initially, but that soon moved to problems in local communities and global issues. Political inadequacy’s surged! A frightening world game played out as leaders balanced a duty of care with acceptable financial losses! A chess game paid for in human lives.

Bad times create new ways of thinking, because hope and creativity are needed to relinquish old patterns that no longer serve individuals or the community. We considered what we could live without and what problems could be solved. The sparks of discontent surged, the face of injustice showed no fear. New principles rose up within individual lives and the wider community. Stagnant governments showed their failings, trapped by the red tape they created.

Quiet revolutions emerged at home; routines that no longer worked were apparent. The spiritual and practical revealed a better purpose to our lives.   Isolation helped us see things differently; we were quiet, we contemplated and the path looked different. While essential workers helped keep the sickness from spreading, a kind of calmness took hold of the general population at home. Calm energetic thinking created profound new directions. Change was forcing its way into the open.

Recovery through revolution lets us to do better. Reconnecting to people and the raw spirit of nature shifts our thinking. Reinventing ourselves is vital. Rewriting competitive work systems is imperative. Resisting unhealthy lifestyles gives us strength. Revisiting the meaning of life is essential!

Sharon D Bush

Writer   Historian   Artisan   Sage

Sharon D Bush, B.A. Double Major History/Ancient History University of New England