26/05/2021
We only live once.
Wrong!
We only die once but we live Everyday.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected people’s livelihood and lifestyle worldwide. In the world’s most hard-hit countries, its impact is especially acute to their people’s mental and spiritual well-being. The death of loved ones, separation from family members and friends or loss of jobs, coupled with lack of social interaction, erosion of work-life boundaries, or limited access to a supportive community can push an individual to a lot of negative thinking. Some may react irrationally and build up much anger and anxiety within. Some may become depressed or even suicidal.
We may think, “That’s not me, I am handling it well.” Nevertheless, it is likely that many of us would have become prey to unskilful habits such as idle chatter, consuming incessant news and information on social media, and attending classes online but with movies and videos playing on another screen. Although these seem to be merely unhealthy habits, they will still harm us as our mind becomes increasingly distracted, restless and agitated.
Unless we can master some semblance of self-discipline, we will experience an erosion of clear comprehension, a cornerstone in developing our virtues and character. Thus, when combined with more adversities and the lack of ability to mitigate the unskilful states, we find ourselves mired in emotional turmoil.
Moving Forward with Courage and Hope ~
Moving forward means to improve ourselves step-by-step so that we can move away from causes that pull us back from experiencing deeper joy, peace and wisdom. It involves letting go of the past and forging a path forward that is paved with wholesome thoughts, speech and deeds.
Courage and Hope keep the mind focused on our lofty but attainable goals. COURAGE enables us to persevere and be strong, and keep rising after setbacks and failures; HOPE pushes us forward, knowing that the goal is surely at the end. With the eventual strengthening of both courage and hope, we become resilient when we fail and are able to bounce back quickly to stay the course.
We would do well to develop ourselves in courage and hope. Not only will we live more fulfilling lives, but we can also influence and inspire others to do the same. Here are some ways to strengthen these virtues :
🙏 Have gratitude – Start with gratitude and see what we are blessed with here and now. This helps us to develop compassion for ourselves, our supporters in life and all suffering beings. As compassion arises, our courage will surface to think beyond our existing views and perceive what needs to be done. We will also naturally think of ourselves less, and develop the energy to overcome our bad habits such as laziness or inertia, in order to do what is beneficial for ourselves and others.
😃 Be optimistic and aspirational – Fear is not our enemy because it is natural. However, overcoming fear is that which takes courage. It is also key to maintain calmness so that we can develop clarity to allay these fears.
💪 Walk the talk – Start to lead, participate, or do something today that makes us feel purposeful and is beyond our comfort zone. We can set a goal; something we have been wanting to do for a long time but kept putting off, and be determined to achieve it because it will make us better people. Our goals should be in bite-size chunks so that we can celebrate success instead of lamenting failures.
🎯 Keep distractions at bay – One of the most courageous things we can do today is to turn off the TV, eat better, and take care of our bodies and our minds. When we do not fill our bodies and minds with ‘trash’, there is less of a need to detoxify it of the same. Be kind to ourselves.
📝 Keep a journal – Make it a habit to journal about the positive things in our lives, so that we will become more heedful of them and even set them in motion. By maintaining a ‘Journal of Courage and Hope’, we will be drawn to these very acts. Remember to rejoice in the goodness of others, because it will put us in a frame of mind to learn and develop our own virtues.
Let us have an aspiration to be the best version of ourselves, take stock of where we are so that we can live meaningful lives and travel confidently on the path towards freedom, liberation, and keep progressing on the spiritual path.
May you be well and happy.
