I start writing to you today from quarantine. My eye is somehow inflamed. My conjunctivae are folding and bunching up when I move my eyes, which I believe to be conjunctivochalasis, and late last night I had an episode of what I believe to be corneal erosion. The doctor’s offices are all closed, so I am in a strange position of limbo. Of course, this won’t kill me, but it’s very uncomfortable, and the compounding effects of the world seemingly breaking apart, combined with health issues and a mind that is plagued with the talking heads on TV so brilliantly instilling fear, is intense.
In strange and dark times lies a lot of opportunity. Pain, suffering and fear are all great teachers — which is not to say they’re good — they are the old gods. The old gods carry foreboding messages which, if properly interpreted, will guide us all to build better boats in anticipation of (and preparation for) the disastrous. What boats are we prepared to set sail in, and how should we deal with this fear of the painful and unknown?
It seems that the forces of nature have conspired to give us a warning of what us to come, not out of dissatisfaction with humanity, but out of love. We have never had a better stress test, and stress is a force which molds us into better and brighter people. More stress is surely coming, but apes under pressure are magnificent things, and every winter of crisis is the fertilizer for a spring of creativity and ingenuity.
From death grows life. This can be seen in nature, and we are but a part of nature. Perhaps this great cultural crisis, and the resultant compost of pain, suffering, agony, and fear, if allowed to decompose, can be the humus that we plant the seeds of our future in.
I do not wish to belittle the situation so many people and their loved ones find themselves in, nor make light of it. I try to look searchingly for the bright side of everything that happens. Let us not let people suffer and die in vain. Let us take this crisis as a lesson in compassion, preparedness, love, collaboration, and make the world a better place in the honor of those who have passed, and those who will.
Be well.
~ Hugo Davenport