happy lunar new year, the year of the tiger

dear friend,

happy lunar new year, the year of the tiger. 

the pandemic is not over yet, but i think many people are adjusting to the harsh changes. even some are peacefully embracing it.

when the pandemic was declared in 2019, we kicked and screamed over the draconian precautions, and we were all very fearful. nevertheless, many people are adapting and progressing.

i am at peace with and unworried by this pandemic, but not in a careless way. it is a part of human evolution, and a necessary evil. that is if you wish to look at it as an evil thing.

buddhism speaks of change as a necessary aspect of the universe — change is a normal and an inevitable process; but we become miserable when we refuse to accept the changes happening around us. our fear and stubbornness limit our ability to progress into a higher level, and we become stagnant and miserable.

our behavior is understandable because we are, after all, humans, and humans are creatures of familiarity — we like to be in control, we like things to be constant and predictable, and anything otherwise is disruptive. we do not like changes forced upon us. alas, we do not make progress if we refuse to adapt. we are faced with the choice to either advance or fall far behind.

how about those who have made the transition? i am envious. i am at peace because death as we know it is not the end, it is a normal transition. our bodies are avatars, for a lack of a better word, that our spirits temporarily occupy in order to experience this physical life as we know it, its yin and yang.

there are over 7 billion human beings on this planet, and each one is on his/her own journey — that is, to experience life and to learn from it, to learn from each other, to help and support each other they meet along their journeys.

as we make our own journeys, we learn to treat each other with love — kindness, patience, compassion, forgiveness, empathy. i feel this pandemic has drawn out many more humans then before who have learned to express love for one another from this difficult lesson and experience. so there you go, another process of human evolution harshly brought on by this pandemic.

i am hopeful because the outcome could spawn a generation of more newly enlightened humans who are in the least, more kind to one another. perhaps in the next generation, these newly enlightened humans will influence companies and governments to build their businesses and policies on the foundations of kindness and compassion. i look forward to that day, but i am doubtful this transformation could happen in my lifetime. i am hopeful, but good and lasting things do not happen overnight. perhaps i will get to enjoy this future transformation in my next reincarnation.

in a world where you can be anything, be kind.

peace and love to you, my friend.