Lately, I have been seeing a world where we are coming together in unprecedented ways, even as polarized as we were before the pandemic. We hear it every day and it is true that “we are all in this together” and we are united now like never before, to turn away the threat of COVID19.
We are helping each other regardless of our religion, race, ethnicity, politics, class, country of residence or economic status. Yes, some groups are seeing greater impact than others. Yet there are still so many examples of people helping each other, regardless of most of these distinctions.
One of my favorite songs is “Imagine”, by John Lennon. It has captured my imagination since it was first released and I have let myself think about the implications of the vision Lennon sung about with such conviction. In part, he invited us to:
“Imagine all the people living for today,
Imagine all the people living life in peace, and to
Imagine all the people sharing all the world.”
Look around at the examples you see of how we are working together to get through the CV19 crisis. What if, 50 years after Lennon imagined his new world, we are able to sustain what we have done to work together in these new ways during 2020?
Look around at how we are supporting each other in this time of uncertainty. What if, we could learn that when we truly are able to reach out and help another because they need us, that it actually works?
Look around at the outpouring of care and compassion that is happening for each other, for the sick, for those threatened most and for those impacted in so many ways. What if, we were to look at the new choices we could make to continue this spirit of love?
We have shown ourselves we can shift on a dime and adapt to new circumstances, when it seems absolutely necessary. We have shown we can transcend our differences, without being disrespectful of the other. This disease has shown us that it cares nothing about who we are, where we come from or what we do. What will it take for us to further engrain a similar mindset, that attitude of working together, as we start to reopen and move forward?
Yes, “I know I am a dreamer” …. and “I’m not the only one” !
Give yourself a chance to acknowledge how we have been coming together in this crisis. Give yourself permission to see that amazing people, all over are answering the calls for help. And seeing this in small ways and in some big ways, let it be an opportunity to point us to the real chance we have to see that “the world can be as one”. Go ahead…imagine this.
