I love how lots of people, nearly all the people , want to do the right thing for themselves , their families , communities and the world.
Going into lock down, we are hungering for direction, guidelines for thinking and behaving; setting a good example for others , feeling good about ourselves and our contribution. , feeling deep-seated needs for approval, massaging our egos , doing a good job , taking on the challenge and feeling a sense of accomplishment , having fun and avoiding boredom.
Coming out of this lockdown seems to me is a very individual thing. Sure, one is seeking guidance and direction; sort of like being stuck in the intersection with the longest red light ever , before it turns green or shows the arrow for direction. You look at the other drivers, wait for the police to show up and the electrician to fix the broken light. Dare you go before it turns green?
Here is a recent example; I have had many conversations with family , friends , workers , neighbors and strangers about their view on things and particularly the pace of coming out of lockdown.
A very nice young lady working at a coffee shop, cleaning the outdoor area, still offering no indoor seating, we talked about masks, and she thought wearing one is to protect others and I said I thought it protected the person wearing it . And when do you wear them and why , was another question we came up with. We concluded that we and many other people are doing and behaving in many ways , not knowing why and continually seeking a better understanding.
It’s a small example , but think about how many of us do this on a larger scale every day. We go about making our daily decisions, some small and some large. Do we know why , what exactly we should be doing and what the likely outcome might be? Our premise for action, may be a soundbyte from social media , a newspaper we just read , a book or a course we completed or those words we grew up with: “ just don’t do anything to embarrass and upset your mother.”
As we bring back some normalcy , social interaction , extend ourselves and do a gut check on why and how it affects others , we might ask , is it reasonable and relevant?
“I am doing it because everyone else is doing it,” never worked growing up and sure as heck doesn’t fly now either.