Was 2020 the worst year of our lives? Or, could it be that 2020 was actually the year you and we, as a collective society, desperately needed to awaken our consciousness?
It’s no secret that adversity builds character and fosters personal growth. But, can large-scale societal adversity actually strengthen us as a people and bring us into a new era of world-encompassing unity?
This blog post will explore that tantalizing question.
Typically for people to change, there needs to be a bottoming out or something that drives them to the end of their wits. The alcoholic who quits drinking after he crashes his car and gets a DUI. The heroin addict who gets clean after barely surviving an overdose. The abused spouse who finally leaves her husband after his last outburst went too far.
I know these are all very drastic examples but if nothing else, was 2020 not a drastic culmination of the negativity and division so rampant in our world?
If hitting rock bottom can instantly summon an attempted awakening in the life of an estranged person, then as our society reaches an all-time low in unity, health and connection with others and nature, we should theoretically be ready/able to make a worldwide transition to a more loving, unified and healthier society.
Along similar lines, how much more “advanced” can our society really get? Can the Internet really get faster? (For the people who are okay with getting a mask slapped on them and quarantined away from family and friends as long as they have 5G, maybe they think it can). Can we really exert more control over Nature? Can we really make our lives and the lives of our children busier and more “productive”?
It’s ironic that the “better” technology gets the less connected we actually are. The more we try to control nature, the more damage we are doing to the environment. And the busier and more “productive” we become, the less likely we are to be living our lives with a fervent spontaneity and wonder that makes this experience on Earth so great.
Now, I’m not condemning anyone for the way they live their life. I believe everyone has a choice on how they want to live, and that’s what makes this country great. I think that everyone lives in a way that they believe is right for them and their children. However, maybe if we all slowed down and assessed our lives, then we’ll see some areas that can be improved.
With that said, this isn’t a post about improving personal lives, but it is about bolstering the strength of our collective society. Or could it be, that the two are more connected than anyone could ever imagine?
A single grain of rice could never satisfy a man, but thousands of grains could satiate an entire village. A single board could never support a house, but thousands of pounds of wood could build an entire neighborhood. A single person could never win a war, but thousands of comrades coming together could take over a nation (this could be a poor example, as war is not a positive mode to bettering the world, but you get the idea).
With this in mind, it is our own personal work that is ultimately going to change the world and awaken society. It is the collective work of millions of people bettering themselves that will save us. Every positive belief, action and habit you have permeates the rigid structure of how society wants us to live and becomes contagious for others to find courage in living with the love and unity that has so recently evaded us.
So, instead of looking at the past 10 months of our lives as a waste, maybe they were necessary for us to reach rock bottom thus inviting a revelation in the way we want to live and the impact we’d like to have on the world.
2020 has taught us the importance of our most personal relationships. It has taught us how the simple things, like hugging a friend, are often overlooked. This past year has also taught us how we take so many freedoms for granted, such as the ability to leave our house and go to the store with our beautiful smiling faces uncovered.
So, I invite you to evaluate what these past several months have revealed to you. Find aspects of your life that have been wrongly stripped from you and figure out how you will cherish these freedoms once they are returned. Take a survey of what needs to be improved, removed or added to your life and take small steps to reclaiming your sovereignty.
Most important of all, think of ways that you can help make this world a more unified and loving place. In a time of rampant division, be the mending force that the world needs. It is through unity and love that we can ultimately heal the world.
Remain optimistic and proactive in remembering that adversity is a vessel for growth and progress. Open your heart to learn from the past several trying months and utilize them as a springboard for personal growth and unity for all of mankind.
Perhaps this is the awakening that the world needed.
Image courtesy: https://www.revealedtruth.com/christian-living/opening-the-eyes-of-the-blind/
