Daniel G. Weidner
"By the Law of Periodical Repetition, everything which has happened once must happen again and again and again -- and not capriciously, but at regular periods, and each thing in its own period, not another's, and each obeying its own law." (Mark Twain).
The time of the coronavirus known as Covid-19 is now fully upon us. Someday this will be history. Right now it is a pervasive and sometimes frightening current event. But we know from history that it is a repeat of countless plagues that have visited humankind since the dawn of history. We, the people of planet Earth, who are living through this current plague of 2020 must do our best to learn everything that we can from this event and pass that knowledge and wisdom on to future generations. Each generation learns from past generations. This is our story, of our life, during our time. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us to record this history in our own way through the medium that is best suited for us at this time.
Joan Halifax (Roshi, PhD) in her book The Fruitful Darkness states that: "...stories are also protectors. Like our immune systems, they defend us and the people against attacks of debilitating alienation . My good friend Steven Foster says that people erect symbolic stories around themselves like houses. These stories are "circles of protection and purpose that bodily carry our spirits all the way to the gates of death." For stories and myths are the connective tissue between culture and nature, between self and other, between life and death that sew the worlds together in their telling. And in the protective and connective body of story the soul quickens. It comes alive."
The story of this plague in our time is important in so many ways. The telling of this story is both good for us in the now and good for future generations who will look back at this time with awe and wonder. Through the telling of this story we can begin to understand and appreciate the fears, anxieties, hopes, and aspirations that we are currently experiencing. We also can pass important and perhaps vital knowledge and wisdom on to those who follow in our footsteps.
I want to encourage everyone reading this to record your story. Utilize your own true nature and your own skills to express this human story through a variety of mediums. Leave the judgments aside and just tell the story through whatever creative and expressive form(s) that suits you best. The mediums of art (drawing, painting, sculpture...), dance, music, poetry, prose, photography, and journaling are all well suited for the telling and recording of this complex, emotional, and powerful time in which we live.
While you are doing this remember to stay home, stay safe, save lives. Namaste.
Click here to read the monthly newsletter.
"By the Law of Periodical Repetition, everything which has happened once must happen again and again and again -- and not capriciously, but at regular periods, and each thing in its own period, not another's, and each obeying its own law." (Mark Twain).
The time of the coronavirus known as Covid-19 is now fully upon us. Someday this will be history. Right now it is a pervasive and sometimes frightening current event. But we know from history that it is a repeat of countless plagues that have visited humankind since the dawn of history. We, the people of planet Earth, who are living through this current plague of 2020 must do our best to learn everything that we can from this event and pass that knowledge and wisdom on to future generations. Each generation learns from past generations. This is our story, of our life, during our time. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us to record this history in our own way through the medium that is best suited for us at this time.
Joan Halifax (Roshi, PhD) in her book The Fruitful Darkness states that: "...stories are also protectors. Like our immune systems, they defend us and the people against attacks of debilitating alienation . My good friend Steven Foster says that people erect symbolic stories around themselves like houses. These stories are "circles of protection and purpose that bodily carry our spirits all the way to the gates of death." For stories and myths are the connective tissue between culture and nature, between self and other, between life and death that sew the worlds together in their telling. And in the protective and connective body of story the soul quickens. It comes alive."
The story of this plague in our time is important in so many ways. The telling of this story is both good for us in the now and good for future generations who will look back at this time with awe and wonder. Through the telling of this story we can begin to understand and appreciate the fears, anxieties, hopes, and aspirations that we are currently experiencing. We also can pass important and perhaps vital knowledge and wisdom on to those who follow in our footsteps.
I want to encourage everyone reading this to record your story. Utilize your own true nature and your own skills to express this human story through a variety of mediums. Leave the judgments aside and just tell the story through whatever creative and expressive form(s) that suits you best. The mediums of art (drawing, painting, sculpture...), dance, music, poetry, prose, photography, and journaling are all well suited for the telling and recording of this complex, emotional, and powerful time in which we live.
While you are doing this remember to stay home, stay safe, save lives. Namaste.
Click here to read the monthly newsletter.
