What does it mean to be human in a crisis? Insights from the week.

All this week, I've been listening, processing, digesting and trying to understand what is really going on and how to deal with it — not just today, but also while we are all in quarantine and after that, when the crisis is over. What does this mean for us as individuals, as communities, as businesses, as nations — and as the human race?

Because that's all this is about: the human race. The rest of the world is not impacted by this. The natural world doesn't need us. The only systems that are at risk are the ones built by and for humans. The only communities facing danger now are human.

So what does it actually mean to be human?

Here are some of my key insights from this week full of zoom calls and living room sessions with people I knew and didn't know before this week, who I've had a chance to hear right in my own home:

1. We are all in this together. Yes, some of us are suffering more than others, either through actual danger to our lives, or our livelihood, or our family and friends, and others are actually glad to have a break from the social pressures of daily life. But either way, even when we are self-isolating, we are in this together, not a single human being will go unaffected by this crisis before it's over. Remembering that we are all experiencing this at the same time has helped me feel less alone.

2. Each one of us has a real, measurable impact on all of us. Now more than ever, it is evident that what one person on the planet eats can actually deeply impact the entire species — it has always been so, but now it is right in our faces, when someone in China eats a bat and within months, the entire human world is at risk by a deadly virus. It's a reminder that our health and wellbeing isn't just about us as individuals but also as a collective. When we make good decisions for ourselves, we make good decisions for everyone around us. Even those we don't know, living on the other side of the planet.

3. Having more time doesn't mean having to fill it up. There is real value in being still, taking the time to process, to let thoughts and feelings move and trickle down. Just because we aren't moving between venues and through transportation anymore doesn't mean this time isn't valuable for us to process things subconsciously. Almost none of us are able to use our mental capabilities non-stop and still remain efficient. And we are ultimately designed to think with our bodies, not just with our minds. Valuing time by capitalist "productivity" is to discount the value of the time we have. And to overvalue our own DOING. The world exists without us, is what we are spending our time DOING actually adding anything of value to the world? Is value only that which translates into money, or is value that which actually improves people's lives? ARE we improving people's lives with what we are DOING? If not, why are we filling our time with DOING rather than appreciating and VALUING that which already exists and is unquestionably beautiful? What is unquestionably beautiful, you ask? Perhaps that's what we should be spending our (extra) time on. Identifying, valuing, protecting and nurturing the unquestionably beautiful.

4. Silence is profound. As someone who can't help but be verbose, as a lover of language and its potential for poetry, the irony of this strikes me regularly. Yet nothing we can say or do can ever be quite so wise, meaningful, and FULL as silence itself. In the absence of the sounds of traffic, the whirring of godknowswhat from the bars and shops that are now peacefully closed, and the chatter of humans holding glasses full of social lubricant, I hear things I've longed to hear for so long. I hear peace, safety, togetherness, calm, I hear rest and recuperation, I hear my own heart and soul. Our addiction to information and knowing is suddenly revealed to be completely superfluous and unnecessary when we start to hear our own internal wisdom, gained not just from all our lives so far, but from generations of lives before ours, embedding their gems in our veins at a non-auditory decibel that can only be heard when we stop listening with our ears. Who needs to retreat for 10 days silence to a meditation course when you can have it anytime you want in the comfort of your own home? The insights are already on their way, all we have to do is listen. To the silence.

5. We are being called to evolve. This non-biological free agent has disrupted our programmes and is forcing us to redesign them. Where we as humans could not agree to stop the destructive forces that we had created in our greed for more, nature sent her representative to help us out, maybe even to remind us who's boss. We are still children of earth, no matter how many moons we touch, and a mother protects her children by instinct. If it happens at the individual level, it also happens at the collective level. It's time for us to graduate and move on from the teenage obsession of wanting everything our hearts desire, to taking responsibility for our families — individual and collective. It's time we evolve ourselves, our systems, and our priorities, to care for everyone, not just ourselves. The only way we will conquer this is by working together and protecting each other. Perhaps this IS the second coming, the awakening at the start of the millennium that was predicted by many ancient thinkers and believers. Perhaps the one who wears the crown isn't a man at all, but a virus. Perhaps this is judgement day, and perhaps only those who evolve to think of their neighbour before themselves will be saved and allowed to enter the after life — the forever changed life after this crisis.

6. Seeing each other is not the same as seeing each other. Yes, we need to connect and we now have the technology to do so without leaving our homes. But staring into a screen of pixellated eyes can never substitute for looking into another human's eyes. And moreover, staring into someone else's eyes will never give you this kind of headache and exhaustion. When we see each other face to face, we do so much more than "see" each other. We also feel each other. We smell each other. We pick up on each others' vibrations and energy. We see each other with our entire bodies. Whether we realise it or not. Video conferencing and even virtual reality can never substitute that. It's not enough to see each other.

7. There's no shame in showing up in your pyjamas. But when you take care of yourself, take a shower and put on some fresh clothes and brighten yourself up with a dash of lipstick, you might just feel a little more energy, and that energy will be contagious for others. That energy comes from the self care and self respect that we feel towards ourselves, which invites others who may be feeling down to also remind themselves to catch up on their self care and self respect. Maybe it's a reminder that we don't dress up to go outside because it's expected of us, but because caring for ourselves is a way of caring for our collective values, cultures, societies and each other.

There's more, but I think 7 is a perfectly holy number to leave it at for now, and go and enjoy the weekend in the way I've come to find most valuable: in silence, in solitude, in the safety of my home, but also, of my own being. When I've regenerated myself, then I will have something to give again, too.

Enjoy your weekend, and maybe take some time to enjoy Doing Nothing. :)

Love,

Moulsari

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Moulsari is an unconventional artist, creative consultant, speaker, facilitator, coach, brand strategist and communication designer — with a deep fascination for the way people think, behave and create. She helps individuals and businesses think about their impact, wellbeing and long-term vision, and translate it into meaningful action. To learn more, and read more, visit www.moulsari.com.