Disruption as Opportunity
What an unprecedented moment in time we are in right now. What started as a virus that was impacting China has now evolved into a global pandemic. Turn on the news, your social media accounts, and your email inbox and all that is being talked about is coronavirus. I have experienced my emotional state being shook like a snow globe in the midst of the growing collective panic. Just a week prior, I was still greeting strangers on the street and smiling. This week I have found myself stone-faced and reluctant to even make eye contact with people. These were cues for me to slow down, turn inwards, and let myself experience the emotions that have been swirling inside me. As much as coronavirus can be seen as a negative event, there are also positive aspects to this disruption. For example, the drastic reduction of pollution as factories in China were shutdown and fewer people are driving due to orders to work remotely. This movement of encouraging global shutdown and social distancing has also been a deep spiritual invitation for me to slow down and look inward. Examples of reflection questions I have asked myself are: How do I want to respond during this time? What status quo has coronavirus disrupted in my personal life that I need to reexamine? Are my daily habits serving me or hindering me? Where am I shrinking back and playing small in my life? If my eight-year old self saw my life now, would he be happy? If I were to die tomorrow, what dreams would I regret not pursuing? One action I took after reflecting on these questions was launching this very website instead of waiting for the “perfect time.” We humans in our modern society buy into the illusion that we can control the world. Most of our actions are centered around self-preservation. As long as things go “according to plan” we are satisfied. But a small virus is enough to crush those illusions, as is any natural disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami. We humans might like to consider ourselves the center of the universe, but the plain truth is that nature does not care. And we humans have not cared well enough about nature for a long time. This moment is a wake-up call. It isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last. The prophets of history come to mind as messengers who sounded alarms to the problematic ways in which we individually and collectively live. And society’s response was to crucify, mock, and ostracize the messenger. I can’t help but think of the words Joker said in The Dark Knight:““I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hmmm? You know... You know what I’ve noticed? Nobody panics when things go “according to plan.” Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it’s all “part of the plan.” But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds. Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It’s fair!”
“Their morals, their code; it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. You’ll see- I’ll show you. When the chips are down these, uh, civilized people? They’ll eat each other. See I’m not a monster, I’m just ahead of the curve.””
The line is chilling, and yet, there is a profound truth to it. The means and motivation by which Joker lived his life is not one I condone; yet even the darkest aspects of human consciousness mirror important truths to us. In this case, it is the reality that pain and chaos seem to be one of the most transformative ingredients in our lives. Thanos from the Avengers could be considered another agent of chaos. We say we want to live happy lives, to do good, and spread love. Yeah? How badly do you want it? The Avengers had to answer that question. And unless they had Thanos present to create that necessary tension in their lives, they may have devolved into debauchery (just look at Tony Stark’s character development). It seems clear: we choose not to pay attention until we have to, until something turns our world upside down. It can be events unique to an individual such as cancer, a car crash, going bankrupt, death of a loved one, or a painful breakup. And it can be events affecting a collective, as we are currently experiencing. We ignored the smaller signs that came before, so finally something larger comes and says, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Now it has our attention. Maybe it isn’t the symptom we should only be focusing on. The common response we as humans have to a threat is to eliminate it. We seldom pause to consider if the symptom is simply a reflection of a system that needs to be changed. Is the problem only the fact that you need triple bypass surgery, or could it be that maybe your diet is killing you? Is the problem only the fact that people are in destitute poverty, or could it be that the systems and institutions we have in place hoard wealth and power over the people they claim to represent? There seems to be an interesting cycle that G. Michael Hopf captured poignantly in his book, “Those Who Remain”: “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
Let the hard time transform you. Be the scared and courageous man who answers the call. Be the man who integrates his darkness and his light. Be your own agent of chaos. And be your own hero. And as you rise from your dark night of the soul, bring your gift to a world that desperately needs it. It is why you came here.