The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and in human responsibility.
Vaclav Havel
It is said that the phrase “may you live in interesting times” is an ancient Chinese curse. In fact, the phrase first seems to have been circulated in 1930s England, and no known equivalent expression can be found in China. The English of that time, facing economic depression at home and the rise of fascism across the Channel in Europe, were well aware of how major events can portend ill.
2020 has proven to be another such time where “interesting” feels a curse rather than a blessing. A society that was already struggling with its members being isolated from each other suddenly found itself even more atomized by quarantines, stay at home orders, and the shut down of almost all public events where people could gather together. Just as we were beginning to understand that social media is no substitute for true human connection, Facebook and Zoom became the only avenues available to many.
Government bureaucracies, ossified by years of ignoring problems and deferring solutions, suddenly were confronted with a problem that had to be addressed. In many cases, the system failed catastrophically, as COVID-19 ripped through nursing homes while leaders preened for the cameras. Massive relief funding was approved, but little time was taken to ensure that the money would be directed to those most in need. Many election boards failed to consider the challenges posed by expanded mail in voting, and set the nation up for massive distrust in the results of November’s contest.
Against this background of public woes, individuals confronted loneliness, uncertainty, unemployment, and the inability to commemorate the good times and bear the hard times of life in community.
And now we turn the page to 2021, after a wearying year of one misery after another. What will we do?
I am reminded of Parker Palmer’s story of recovering from depression in his book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. He found that in order to come out of depression, he needed to first travel down into the depths of his soul and confront the monsters within. Only then could he move upwards. Drawing on the examples of Vaclav Havel and Nelson Mandela, who were both political prisoners who used their time behind bars to prepare for eventual leadership of their respective countries (the Czech Republic and South Africa), Palmer illustrated how being limited by external forces only limits a person’s mental agency if you let it.
The challenges and limits that COVID-19 has imposed on us pales in comparison to what Havel and Mandela had to face. But their example holds true. While we may have needed to redirect or defer certain goals, there is always the opportunity to be doing something worthwhile, even in a pandemic.
Palmer discovered while on an Outward Bound program that they have a motto: “If you can’t get out of it, get into it!” In other words, if you’re in a situation, just keep moving until you reach the other side. Accept the reality of the problem and make the best of it.
It is always tempting to focus on external forces and believe that everything is dictated by our circumstances. It is certainly easy, especially this year, to blame all our problems on the outside world. But challenges affect everyone differently. What may destroy one person only makes another stronger.
The interesting thing about the human mind is that like the human body, it can be strengthened by adversity. Just as skin forms calluses to protect from abrasion and muscles are built up by lifting weights, stress and adversity can make a mind stronger and better able to confront the next challenge.
As the Havel quote at the top of the page alludes to, the solution to the big problems that we have seen in the world in 2020 is a heart that knows what is right, a mind that can take time to reflect on the right course of action, a strong but gentle ability to move others, and the responsibility to take action. While solving our public problems may require many people to take action, each person has to make the choice as an individual to be what they want to see on a societal level in the world.
Perhaps out of the challenges of 2020 the world will find that we have all been strengthened and are better equipped to meet the new year than at the end of 2019. For all the fear, there have also been bright spots. Around me I see that charitable giving is up, people are more conscious of checking in with each other, and people have adapted as best they can. Will 2021 be a year of rebuilding, powered by people who discovered reserves of strength they did not know they had? One can hope.
And pray.
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