by Gregory Copploe
Does this picture look familiar? This is what I call the post pandemic short fuse. Instead of celebrating the fact that we can travel, gather, and celebrate life again, we remain incarcerated within a selfish mindset that “I” come first and the rest can just kiss my ass. How did we get here?
Despite our new found freedom, we remain disgruntled and angry that years of our lives have been stripped away. Many of us are in debt, or are paying back SBA loans that we all hoped would be forgiven. Layoffs are rampant, and our sense of stability and security is in limbo.
So instead of seeking out help, reducing our stress, or actively seeking some form of spirituality, we act out in ways that hurt each other. The picture above is a perfect example of the lack of mindfulness we have all seen and experienced post pandemic. Our neighbor acts out or the baby is crying next door, and we grab a gun and kill everyone inside. Some stranger comes to our door, and we decide to shoot our gun through the closed door and kill them. Is it fear or is it purposeful? Is it rage and anger that has taken over? We have literally lost our minds.
So how do we undo these feelings of anger and fear? How do we move forward during a strange time in which everyone’s fuse is short? Can we let go of the past, live in the present, and move forward? I would like to think that we all could do this, act maturely, and seek the help we need to live a healthier existence, but for many, they think this is the new normal.
I’ve seen grown men punch women in the deli section of my favorite organic food store. I have seen people hoarding products so that others cannot purchase them. Driving has become an obstacle course of fear as people run red lights, make left turns on one way streets going the wrong way, and then flip you off in return when you beep your horn to alert them that they could be harmed.
We have to make this better! Our lives and our happiness depend on it.
I am going to choose to lift one person up each day as I traverse through my daily routine, whether it be opening a door, holding the elevator, or giving someone a compliment. I am going to work on my awareness of others to ensure I am navigating in such a way, that my imprint is positive, and that their life might be better because I have made way for their imprint too. Making space for others, and letting them know that you see them is an important part of mindfulness. I am going to work on seeing others in a different way, and making space for them. Understanding and having empathy we are all carrying a heavy burden is part of the journey.
I will still see the behavior that disgusts me, but I can choose to focus on my own behavior and how I am counteracting the lack of mindfulness that oversaturates the landscape. It starts with each one of us, one person at a time to make a difference. I am tired of being sad, disappointed, and disgruntled by other’s behavior, and now I choose to take control of my thoughts and my mindset to create change. This is my saving grace. This is my mantra.
The only way we can elongate a short fuse is to feed it and give it love.
If you like this post, please check out Gregory Copploe’s book ” I Am Pink” available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
