Coronavirus Pandemic Panic:
“Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone, and all species. If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth. This is the real message of love.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
Every day we are met with new fear based news stories about the Novel Coronavirus global pandemic that is bringing about unforeseen changes into our lifestyles. With all of our lives in disarray, and in terra incognito, many of us are left clueless about how to adapt to our new reality.
Coronavirus panic will impede our path to nirvana.
This unpredictability about the unforeseen nature of the coronavirus leads to fear, anxiety, and selfishness. This virus is spreading quickly all over the world disrupting the lives and livelihoods of many people who are ill prepared to deal with the current situation.
These unforeseen circumstances seem to be bringing out a primitive response in our human psyche. Our inborn need for greed, self-preservation, and selfishness is dominating our thought process, to the detriment of others.
The Coronavirus panic is causing people to behave selfishly, and selfishness is running rampant during this Coronavirus pandemic. Selfishness is unbecoming a Buddhist. Compassion, and empathy are the demeanor of Buddhists on the path to nirvana.
If we allow selfishness to dominate our thinking due to the Coronavirus outbreak it will disrupt our path to nirvana.
The fifth of the ten fetters is, ill will. Greed, and selfishness are both aspects of the fifth fetter. Greed will lead us to a fallacious attachment to material items that we believe are more important than our path to enlightenment.
As long as we refuse to sever our attachment to material items we will never embrace nirvana. Our attachment to material things also correlates with the sixth fetter which is a craving for material existence.
Selfishness will lead to anger and hatred when we are unable to acquire that which we desire. We have no control over the irrational behavior of others, but we have complete control over our own behaviors and actions.
Don’t let the Novel Coronavirus make hatred dominate your demeanor. Hatred is one of the five hindrances on our path to nirvana. Those of us who follow the teachings of Buddha would never reduce ourselves to such selfish hoarding behaviors so prevalent among others.
This Novel Coronavirus outbreak has brought out the worst in human interactions. The media is partly to blame for causing the paranoia among us as they twist the reality of the situation out of proportion, and condition people to believe that the worst case scenario is going to befall them.
Many of us are aware of people who are hoarding what they believe are necessary essential items for their survival with little thought for anyone else.
These selfish people believe that the end of the world is coming, and they must protect themselves and their families as well by purchasing the most logical item possible that is necessary for their very survival here on Earth.
The most vital item that they believe will save them from the dreaded Coronavirus is of course toilet paper. Yes toilet paper if you can believe that.
We have all seen the news stories about hoarders buying up toilet paper and hand sanitizers, leaving shelves completely bear with no regard at all for others who may need some supplies as well.
We are all in this together. Hoarding everything that is on the shelf will cause stress and dismay for others. This hoarding mentality shows complete lack of compassion, and lack of empathy for others.
There are among the hoarders those who choose to profit from the misfortune of others by reselling the items they have hoarded from store shelves at exorbitant prices knowing that people who need them, and are basing their decisions on fear of scarcity will pay the asking price.
These people will try to justify their behavior by stating that they only charged prices that the market would bare, and people willingly paid these prices.
Drastic increases in prices during national emergencies are illegal in most places, but these people see nothing wrong with it.
People show their true colors during times like this.
What are your true colors?
Will you allow the mass hysteria about the Coronavirus to impede your path to nirvana, or will you allow INNER PEACE to guide your thinking.
We all need to spread a little positivity and optimism among others today because of the anxiety and stress which is causing the irrational behavior of people buying ridiculous quantities of items.
Yes this Coronavirus pandemic is something to be mindful of, but we shouldn’t let it make us become greedy, and selfish. Instead it is a great opportunity to express empathy, and compassion for others.
We are all in this together. Stay healthy everyone.
Let go of your attachments to material things, and embrace nirvana.
Previous Article:
How to Stop Procrastinating
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