Letting go, a positive attitude
A Different Way of Approaching Difficulties.
The Eastern Vision.
Unlike the hero in the West who fights to the last breath to overcome adversity, the oriental hero accepts fate, aware of his limits. Yet this attitude, steeped in humility, proves much more prudent for navigating a crisis such as Covid-19. In the 70s, Europeans stayed in ashrams, where they experienced the Hindu concept of acceptance. This philosophy of life then spread to the West and became known as letting go. To achieve this, various techniques of introspection have emerged, such as ikigai imported from Japan or mindfulness. During the pandemic, letting go finds a particular resonance since we are constrained. This refocusing, which is not a passive abandonment but rather a voluntary act, proves particularly liberating.
What unique situations have we encountered? How did we overcome them? What lessons did we learn from them?
In the 70s, Europeans stayed in ashrams, where they experienced the Hindu concept of acceptance.
The transformation of society.
First of all, some of us abruptly shifted to remote work while we were unprepared. We were forced to fundamentally transform our way of working by relying on new tools such as Hangouts to replace meetings. As a result, we have questioned our way of working: do we need so much face-to-face interaction, could we not delegate more?
As we were confined, we inevitably spent more time with family. Yet cohabitation went smoothly. We were grateful to be going through this ordeal together with our loved ones. This unique time was spent on more constructive conversations. For example, we debated with our teenagers about Medium's representation models regarding the crisis. Finally, we had never checked in on our parents so much!
Health has turned into the main concern during this crisis. We have also managed to integrate within a few days the constraints that allowed us to protect ourselves against the virus. Similarly to the Japanese who wear masks when they have a cold, we will keep some practices. Moreover, we have placed greater importance on our diet by cooking our makis thanks to online tutorials. This has been beneficial as we have taken care of ourselves.
Probably because we were active during our travels, we found ourselves with an excess of energy. There's nothing like physical activity to blow off some steam. How do you exercise in a small apartment? We then downloaded sports brand apps even though they don't replace our coach. We realized that practicing a sport was an essential activity for the mind.
The issue of isolation.
We haven't physically met our friends anymore. However, we have never missed their presence so much. In order to maintain the connection, we sent them humorous videos via Whatsapp. Likewise, we tried to see our friends through happy hours on Zoom or Meet... We have learned a lesson from this, humor is vital for gaining perspective on events !
We no longer attended concerts, watched films at the cinema... At first, we were angry at the idea of giving up what spices up our lives: culture. Then, we increased our use of the online offerings: Tedex talks, France Culture apps... It must be acknowledged that artists provided free concerts, the Comédie Française offered free online operas, and we tried out virtual museum tours: MoMA, the Uffizi Gallery... We have never cultivated ourselves so much because it has provided us with an escape.
We will have learned a lesson, humor proves to be lifesaving for gaining perspective on events!
During this ordeal, we reconnected with what's essential by setting aside the superfluous. We showed adaptability and imagination. We had to practice letting go. It is certain that we were helped by new mediums. Yet, we still prefer human interactions and we are already dreaming of the party we will throw to mark the end of the lockdown!