It's Thursday, 10 December and I'm reading the following headline: „Despite partial lockdown: new coronavirus infections peak again“. After a good 5 weeks of massive contact restrictions, the Federal Republic of Germany is on its way to a full lockdown for the second time in its history.
Despite the approaching approval of the vaccine, the coronavirus will be with us well into 2021. With all its negative consequences for the economy, health and the psyche. But coronavirus doesn't have to be an exclusive burden. From an Ayurvedic perspective, COVID-19 offers us a unique opportunity to realise our personal development potential.
Our handling of SARS-CoV-2 is fuelling fears
Infection and reproduction figures, 7-day incidences, MNS masks: nine months of corona have been enough to turn many of us into (amateur) epidemiologists and elevated many a virologist to the status of a celebrity. The coronavirus, with all its dangers, has long been omnipresent in our everyday lives - and has become like a pair of glasses over our perception of the reality of life. But these glasses are neither rose-coloured nor do they improve our vision. They have a distorting effect, narrow our view and all too often make us see things in black. In short, they create fear, insecurity and powerlessness and thus promote extreme views. The perfect breeding ground for health dictatorship fantasies as well as conspiracy theories and defensive attitudes, which find expression in sometimes aggressive protests. The result is a mixed situation in which we have simply lost the mental ability to differentiate.
Ayurveda describes four means of realisation with the help of which we attain valid knowledge:
- instruction by authorised teachers and texts;
- direct perception through our senses;
- the logical conclusion;
- the verification of an assumption through application.
Have we used these four tools to better understand the current situation? Unfortunately not! We have allowed too few critical authorities to have their say, we have largely switched off our own senses and have hardly drawn any logical conclusions for ourselves personally.
There are three forces in our spirit:
- TAMAS - the principle of ignorance and lack of knowledge
- RAJAS - the principle of attachment and aversion
- SATTVA - the principle of clarity, discernment and realisation
Only through sattva can we act decisively on the basis of our discernment - for the benefit of others and for ourselves.
Back to balance and centre with Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the path of balance and centre. All extremes in thought, speech and action lead to disturbances in our physical, sensory and mental balance. We don't need to panic-buy, as we did at the start of the pandemic, or act carelessly in groups as if nothing had happened, as we are increasingly seeing at the moment.
We humans are capable of looking after our own health and taking responsibility for it. Through our beneficial lifestyle, a balanced diet and mental balance, we strengthen our immune system, which is our only sustainable protection against infections.
SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that exists. Viruses have always existed and will always exist in the future. Some of them are particularly virulent and therefore capable of infecting and damaging us as hosts. This coronavirus is one of the more aggressive viruses. In the worst-case scenario, it can be fatal, especially for people with health problems and immunocompromised older people. That's why we need to work together to slow its spread and protect at-risk groups - empathetically, calmly, prudently and mindfully.
No fundamental rights need to be suspended for this.
Let's start with a new language
How does it feel to speak of „immunisation“ instead of the necessary „infestation“ of our society?
What happens if we decide to wear a „face mask“ to help people at risk instead of complying with a „mask obligation“?
5 ways to realise your potential for personal development thanks to corona
- Corona makes us realise our own mortality.
We are born, age, fall ill and die. That is the course of life, with and without viruses. Nobody knows how much time we have left. We should therefore use it more consciously to lead a rich and meaningful life in harmony with our values.
- Corona shows us the transience of matter.
Everything gained will one day be lost, everything built will collapse. Nothing in the world of matter is permanent. Many of us, who are suffering dramatically from the current crisis, especially economically, are painfully aware of this. The less we cling to matter, the less we suffer from its loss.
- Corona increases our gratitude.
We live in a democratic country with a functioning health and social system in which every citizen enjoys the right to medical care and basic social security. This is absolutely not a matter of course! How are many people in the USA or India faring?
- Corona makes us realise that we are social beings.
In times of need, we realise how much we need each other and how wonderful it is to be there for one another. Together we can overcome crises, encourage each other and help those in need. Perhaps we will cultivate our relationships more consciously in future and treat each other with more love.
- Corona leads us into the present.
We were always used to planning, making provisions and taking precautions. Corona is now forcing us to live with uncertainty. This is a huge opportunity: to immerse ourselves in the present moment and do exactly what we need to do right now. Every moment is unique and will never come back. What the future holds is uncertain. And that's a good thing.
Change your own lifestyle
The contact restrictions and curfews associated with coronavirus are forcing us to spend more time at home. Never before have so many people cooked so often every day, cleared out old clutter, renovated and consciously embellished their homes and organised workplaces as home offices. Many are sleeping longer than before and are able to regenerate after years of overwork.
However, it is important to maintain these new habits in the time after the coronavirus crisis. Continue to value your home as a refuge of peace and quiet and healthy activities with your loved ones. Integrate your Ayurvedic lifestyle into your new everyday life.
Out of the state of shock!
The second lockdown has led to a renewed slowdown in our everyday lives. But in the new year at the latest, when the restrictions can be eased again, it's time to take action and shape your own future. Don't wait until the storm has passed. Invest now in your further training, in new business ideas, in new life and work models. And don't be a thrifty person, but stimulate trade again through sensible consumption.
We can overcome our fears through confidence in our own abilities and flexibility in actively acting and reacting to change. Those who continue to do what they have always done will continue to get what they have always got. Are you happy with that? The historian Yuval Harari points out that „we can never go back to the world as it was before this global crisis, because the coronavirus pandemic will leave a lasting mark“.
That's right. But do we even want to go back there?
