How to act in the age of coronavirus and
care for your core human needs.
By John Kyriazoglou
Introduction
It’s chaos these days. It’s a very crazy and
hectic time, to say the least. In Europe (Greece, Spain, Italy, England, France,
etc.), in Australia, in U.S.A. and other countries of the world, we are in a
state of not ordinary living, and what I might call, ‘an unusual madness’.
We are sheltering-in-place, living in isolation, contained
and enslaved within the finite borders of our home. We are leaving the house
only for essentials like groceries, gas and medical care and other emergencies.
It is correct for all of us to focus on caring for the physical health of
ourselves, our families, our communities, and society at large. But we must not
forget to also take good care of our spiritual, mental, emotional, and social health
needs. Because without them we may survive in the short run but we will not be
happy or thrive in the longer period.
Freedom
and enslavement
Human living is often deemed
to be about freedom and enslavement or containment. When we feel enslaved
and contained, we long for freedom. We scream “Please let me be! Don’t tell me
what to do!”. But, also, when we have too much freedom, we start to feel adrift,
and lost, without a purpose. Fearful. Lost in space and time. Sometime we feel
terrified and overcome with panic. And suddenly we want to escape to safety. We
long for privacy, isolation and containment. We cry for safety and security. “Please
come close to me! I need to feel safe!’’. We all need to have the peace of mind
and privacy of our close family and home, in times of chaos and turbulence.
Impact
of coronavirus
What does all of this have to do with a global
pandemic, like coronavirus?
First, our everyday social ways of living have been
altered, and some have even disappeared.
These ways of living normally support us to connect:
at home, at work, at the gym, at the coffee shop, at school, in social
gatherings with friends and family, in church gatherings, etc.
They also create distance: We say goodbye to our family
partners and kids in the morning, and we greet them again in the evening. All
of these happen automatically, without much effort on our parts. These ways of
living are built in with mental ‘cement’ right into the structure of our
society and our personal behaviors.
And while we may like to complain against these, by
saying that these may make our life monotonous, when they are suddenly removed,
we respond in interesting ways.
We may initially be happy about our newfound
freedom and the removal of constraints.
We feel that we can do whatever we want to.
Watch videos, T.V. shows, music, Netflix, etc.
We feel excited, free and delicious, the
first few hours.
We might be initially terrified by newly
imposed constraints. Children home all day every day. Spouses suddenly
inhabiting the same space every day and night. No more trips to the gym, the coffee
shop, café, or our friend’s house. We may feel stressed and lose our grip on
things.
Daily practices
What is the point of all of these? For our well-being,
and the well-being of our families and communities, we are called upon to develop
and implement new sustainable ways of living that create, produce and
augment our well-being, mental sanity, safety, and beneficial human thriving.
The following daily practices can apply to your life
right now. Whether you’re in generally good health or struggling with chronic
physical or psychological conditions, I propose that you review and consider
executing the following, every day.
Practice 1. Eat healthy foods. You might know
what foods make you feel healthy and lively, focused, resourced, and mentally sane.
And there are certainly those that are just for fun (e.g., chocolate). Do not ban
or outlaw the small treats that bring you joy. Do your research on healthy
foods and change your daily food consumption practices for you and your family.
A vast number of foods are both healthy and tasty. By
filling your plate with fruits, vegetables, quality protein, and other whole
foods, you’ll have meals that are colorful, versatile, and good for you1.
Practice 2. Exercise your body. Our human bodies
need to move. They need to exercise by stretching, reaching, bending, sweating,
etc., to whatever degree works for our unique shapes and constitutions.
The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity
are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age, sex or physical ability2.
Do it in your living room, for at least 20 minutes per
day.
Practice 3. Connect with others. Connecting with others is now proven by research to be good
for our moods, our mental and even our physical health3.
Humans need to feel connected. We need to feel seen,
heard, and understood by another human being. And to extend the same in return.
And since it won’t “just happen” throughout our day, we need to schedule it.
Tell the truth about how you’re feeling, what you’re experiencing. Invite them
to do the same. Listen with kindness. Offer your support with generosity.
High-quality human attention may feel like a scarce resource right now, but you
can generate an infinite supply of it. Also review my recommended action plan (Ten Golden
Actions for a More Balanced Life) outlined later.
Practice 4. Live a more balanced life. Our society,
people and businesses, have lost their real purpose and target. The rich are getting richer and there are
over 650,000 people living on the streets in the U.S. alone, the most wealthy
and powerful nation on this earth! The earth’s climate is suffering from over
consumerism, diseases are increasing in several third world regions, terrorist
acts are still going on without a permanent solution in sight, etc.
The
principles of philosophy for the betterment of both individuals and
organizations are not put to good use. Organizations strive for happiness at
the financial level, in most cases. This is why we are having more and more
cases of corporate frauds and abuse of societal resources, at the level of
public organizations and private companies, and increased violence,
psychological problems and unhappiness at the personal level of
individuals.
Where
is the solidarity, altruism and social cohesion, harmony, peace, virtue, mutual
understanding gone?
Technology
and all other developments have forgotten, in most cases, our psyche (mind).
But homo sapiens is made up of three components: body, mind (Greek
nous=intellect) and soul (Greek psyche). And our well-being is depended on
finding a working balance between our three components.
That’s
where philosophy steps in. As philosophy nourishes our psyche (soul) it becomes
most important. And as the world problems are not being tackled and resolved to
any level of satisfaction, we have to go back.
Back to
the basic principles of pre-classical ancient Greek philosophy so that we
attain the proper virtues and to bring values, order and balance in our
personal life, our business organizations, and our society. This is the only
way so that we can all travel the difficult road to a better world.
Here is
my recommended action plan.
Action Plan: Ten Golden Actions for a More
Balanced Life
*Golden Action 1: Faith. Respect religious ideas and beliefs; Have faith and trust in both the
Supreme Being and your people; and meditate and pray to seek inner tranquility.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘Follow God’, by
the Seven Sages inscribed in marble
at the Oracle of Delphi;
Second: ‘God embraces all and actuates all, and is
but One. All life is one, and God is one’, by Pythagoras; and
Third: ‘Human laws are the creation of Divine
Law, as it (the Divine Law) is superior to all other laws and it is applicable
to all people the same way’, by Heraclitus.
*Golden Action 2: Protection. Protect your person, your relationships, your
family, your community, your beliefs and religion, your country, the
environment, and others less fortunate or less intelligent than you.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘We should fight for our laws in the same
way that we fight for our country’, by Heraclitus.
*Golden Action 3: Governance. Practice and pursue fairness and democracy
in your personal affairs, family activities, holding a public office and
managing a business; manage your wealth without greed; and defend and protect
your country’s laws and business moral regulations and practices.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘Even the worst
government is better than anarchy’, by Aesop;
Second: ‘Good government can be firmly effected if
the rulers are equal in all things to the citizens, and surpass them in nothing
else than justice’, by Pythagoras; and
Third: ‘Acquire wealth in a just way’, by the Seven Sages.
*Golden Action 4: Justice. Use justice and temperance and be fair in
all your dealings.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘Justice to be
expressed by the rulers being equal in all things to the citizens, and surpass them
in nothing else than justice’, by Pythagoras; and
Second: ‘Obey the law’, by the Seven Sages inscribed in marble at the
Oracle of Delphi.
*Golden Action 5: Friendship. Use friendliness and its manifestations of
kindness, love, harmony, goodness, altruism, philanthropy, forgiveness and
mercy in managing and improving your relationships.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings by
the Seven Sages in this regard.
First: ‘Guard
friendship’; and
Second: ‘Remember your friends, both, when they
are near you, as well as when they are far away’.
*Golden Action 6:
Self-Control. Exercise your mind, body and soul to stay
fit. Use reason and self-control
techniques to manage your sentiments and passions so that you achieve a life of
more harmony, balance and happiness in a better way.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘The utmost happiness is to be found in
Peace of Mind’, by Pythagoras; and
Second: ‘Control yourself’, by the Seven Sages, inscribed in marble at the Oracle of Delphi.
*Golden Action 7: Moderation. Use moderation and reason in managing all
your activities and sustaining your life.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘Nothing in excess’, by the Seven Sages; and
Second: ‘Seek the true value of all things, and
enjoy all gifts of God according to Measure’, by Pythagoras.
*Golden Action 8: Truth. Use, seek, pursue and promote truth.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘Do not lie but tell the truth’, by the Seven Sages.
*Golden Action 9: Education. Educate yourself, your family and your
business associates and coach others less advantaged or in need, so that all of
you are becoming better.
Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
First: ‘In science, we
learn and judge not by any single hasty glance, but by the thorough examination
of every detail’, by Pythagoras.
*Golden Action 10: Greater
Benefit. Promote the interests of your community or
society over the interests of yourself and your business. Sacrifice your
personal interest to defend and protect the older members of your family as
well as your business and country.
Let’s remember one of the ancient Greek sayings in
this regard.
‘It is
more preferable to offer forgiveness than exercise punishment’, by Heraclitus.
End Notes
Further resources
‘Seven Milestones for a Better Life’,
