Perhaps the following quote is an odd source of inspiration for this post, but so be it:
"Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful."
--- Warren Buffett
The above advice is in regard to investing, particularly with regard to managing one’s emotions in their investment endeavors.
Certainly this quote is applicable at this time—a time of abject uncertainty in finances, for sure—but I think we can draw from it with regard to our lives, society, and well-being.
Allow me to rephrase it:
"Be wary when others are oblivious and be mindfully stoic when others are losing their fucking shit."
OK…it’s a stretch, but it’s the leap I made.
These are inscrutable times. Each of us confined to our homes—or at least we should be—and left to our own devices. Many of us are finding moments of solitude for what seems like the first time. And, solitude is a fickle bed fellow if not wrestled with regularly.
Solitude forces us to look at ourselves.
In such a noisy and complacent culture, forced self-observance can be a devastating ask of the untrained individual. But, there’s as much to learn from between our own two ears as there is beyond our own two eyes. Perhaps more.
Embrace these moments of stillness; of self-observance. Learn and grow in these times. And carry the relationship with Self beyond this quarantine and into the time when we are allowed to return to some semblance of social normalcy.
There are those who’ve already failed the sanity check. There will be more. Do not be like them.
Learn to live with yourself.