Joy or Fear — What drives you today?
In the midst of Covid-19 Pandemic, perhaps the title question is an insensitive one to ask, when everyday thousands of humans are passing away. But, if we don’t ask ourselves that now, I don’t know if there will be a better time. Still here? Great let’s dive in and explore using a Socratic dialogue method — but I will promise you this is NOT yet another article on Paranoia or fear psychosis that we may be facing from longstanding feelings and perceptions on death and financial ruin that are being brought up as alternatives by this virus. Let’s get the Paranoia out of the way without belittling the power of the invisible enemy unleashed in Nov/Dec 2019. As humans, our situation seems…
1) Being infected by Corona virus does NOT to equal death sentence.
2) Collectively we will live after COVID-19 gets over — even individually if not all of 7.2 Billion make it to the other side (educated guess ;)
3) Our individual and familial odds are good if we play by guidelines
Now let me ask the question again — What drives you today?
Aren’t you glad this is 21st century?
Consider the history of epidemics and vaccines — Polio as an example and this what the sequence of events as per its timeline.
Year 1894, first outbreak of polio in epidemic form in the U.S. occurs in Vermont, with 132 cases.
Year 1905 (9 years after), the Contagious Nature of Polio Discovered after a series of polio epidemics in Sweden, Ivar Wickman (1872–1914) published two important findings about polio.
Year 1908, Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper identify a virus as the cause of polio by transmitting the disease to a monkey and announce that the infectious agent in polio was a virus.
Year 1921 Polio Strikes FDR Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945), former New York State Senator, Assistant Secretary to the Navy, and future U.S. president, fell ill with what most historians think was polio.
Then as it is now with Corona, New York was worst affected . As most Rotarians would know the answer to this trivia question “when was the Polio vaccine discovered?” Answer : 1952 or almost 58 years after the outbreak.
Aren’t you glad you are living in 21st century where world can root-cause this corona virus in few months since out break in late 2019 and hopefully a cure too collaboratively with a help of vaccine as per the Singularity email discussing the the Futureloop community prediction
In a mass show of optimism, the community predicted a vaccine approval date only 8.64 months from now — or by December 19th, 2020 (the week before Christmas) — which would give us all something to be truly thankful about!
and truly sing joy to the world!
Joy — time-tested and technology-independent
Following the Shelter-at-home or Lockdown or Stay-Home-Save-Lives recommendations aren’t source of Joy for some/many. Yes it is a change of routine for many and not fun when we have chosen that lives purpose is to make a living. In Be->Do->Have (repeat) cycle we seem to have put the cart before the horse and turned it into To Have->Do->Be(come) who we are today. Mother earth seems to be enjoying humankind’s shelter-at-home immensely (no, we are not a virus but beings, whether we are behaving as one or not).
What if “Joy” is our innate nature since the first human (whether you call him or her as Adam or Eve or by any name for that matter) and we just forgot? Sounds religious — No I am not taking you there definitely.
Consider this for a moment! What is your earliest memory of your child hood? Joy or Fear? Perhaps you have a photograph of you grinning from ear to ear? May be you were playing carefree as the “selfie” was clicked. Doesn’t matter what the activity was when you look at it now does that bring you a smile? Perhaps I am reminding of therapy for some — sorry if I am — but just checking if we are living life well since that picture. If yes, should not that joy and grin have increased since that photo to today? Or is Fear that grew?
Even if today is the moment of checking out from this planet for some of us, should we not be regret free? If you pursue “living a fulfilled life” as a passion, perhaps this may mean some variation of this simplified human story.
Day 1 : Born — Mental State : Crying by Joyful. Boy I am in this world to enjoy. Day nnnnn : Died — Mental state : No regrets. Lived a full live. Enjoyed!
While it may seem that days in between these milestones, without television or smartphone, may be dull and not so exciting. I am not arguing technology isn’t making life convenient and comfortable — It definitely does. Recollect when you climbing a mountain and walking on the beach without foot wear, why does your heart skip a beat? Or sit quietly now with eyes closed in meditation or even recollect having a deep connection with another in a dialogue don’t you enjoy yourself — sans technology?
Fear — an effective tool for transformation?
Fear is also very similar emotion as Joy with few key differences. A good friend of mine who is a physician by education said that the virus fear may have converted humans to be more careful in their choices about health. Fear has a place in survival surely but can fear lead us to make wise choices? Can it drive us today and every day in the future till day “nnnnn” comes, to help us make life choices wisely? Can Joy do that for that matter? This is the crux of the matter isn’t it? irrespective of time (year 2020 or 1000AD or 342BC)? Also whatever emotion/passion that drive us, shouldn’t it be time-tested and technology-independent in helping us fulfill our life mission or need?
Maslow posits that human needs are hierarchical. Emotions such as fear and joy belong or correlate with needs somewhat surely. Fear perhaps with Survival needs and Joy as climb up the pyramid ? Surely if you read historical account of any civilization or country, there were joyful ancestors even in the era of mayhem and pandemic or whatever be the instability of their time.
Even if one is afraid as one’s survival is threatened as currently, what would it take for that Fear to transform into Joy? Not being very familiar with all religious scriptures across many cultures, when I internet searched, I see that many holy books talk about sorrow turning into joy under some conditions or with some actions. Will the same scheme or process work even as we let Fear drive our life choices to transform into joyful ending?
Intuitively, Fear seems like a closed or cocooning emotion while Joy can be described as a butterfly taking its flight
Either-or a False Choice?
Digging deeper, I found that when some one offers a Either/Or it is a Fallacy (also called “the Black-and-White Fallacy,” “Excluded Middle,” “False Dilemma,” or “False Dichotomy”). This fallacy occurs when a writer builds an argument upon the assumption that there are only two choices or possible outcomes when actually there are several as humans are creative kind.
We may need Fear to survive but what if we consciously and joyfully choose it? To avoid the downside of flights of fancy coming from Joy what if we consciously choose Fear of survival to tether ourselves to the ground and grow roots! Would we then grow as tall oak trees deeply rooted and touch the sky?
Imagine the now famous apple falling on Newton’s head which lead to the benefits that law of gravity yielded. Needless to say the apple seed neither faced Fear when it got buried into earth or broke its shell open to germinate. Arguably in similar vein, there was no Joy in its journey from a seed to sapling to an apple tree that gives us fruit and a seed to repeat this process.
Aren’t humans growth and transformation similar from Day 1 to Day nnnnn? Yes we have plethora of emotions and other gifts to enjoy this life in a more nuanced way as we go about producing fruits of our labor but can we conduct survival without fear and growth without Joy? Too mechanical?
One thing we didn’t explore is “The agent” — One who either consciously or compulsively makes the choice between Joy or Fear or among few dozen emotions we nurture. Instead of compulsion driving us to change, like corona is making stay home and letting nature breath easy from us, can we consciously make choices? Consider this, apple can fall from tree due to law of gravity and go up “magically” from ground into a tree branch due to law of “grace” or biological nature. Hence law of gravity and grace are simultaneous and dualistic (not hierarchical as needs seem to imply?). Some how I feel the answer intuitively is in the affirmative. Joyfully!
You then drive your life — Today and Everyday — with full sovereignty. As you drive you can choose right or left or middle of the road based on situations — time, place (part of the world you are in), traffic conditions or rules/customs.
Now comment below What drives you today? Joy or Fear? Your freedom to choose CONSCIOUSLY and not compulsively perhaps! Even if world throws virus or other challenges at you, choose wisely, for life is nothing but a play of few days from 1 to nnnnn and some indestructible energy.
