Waking slowly
A strange feeling evident
Hard to say what it is
Or rather isn’t
An awareness of something different
An awareness of nothing
Stillness - quietness
A strange sound
Not because of what it is
rather what it isn’t
The road is quiet
No rushing sounds
No metal boxes racing past
No harsh drumming of movement and speed
Rather no sound
The intensity of the absence of noise
Sounds of silence in the real world
The urban world hushed
The power of silence revealed
-
But no
wait
Indistinct at first
In the distance
But gathering intensity
There is sound,
not harsh
The sounds of nature
Intrusions of a gentler kind
Bird sound
Songs of life
Songs of celebration
Magpies greeting the morning
Rejoicing in the joy of being
Being alive
celebrating the fact
Sharing it with the world
The mornings are slower now
Sleep is deep and long
the need to rush has slowed and diminishing
Breakfast is now a communal rather than singular activity
People are now communicating and reconnecting
Families reforming as a group rather than individuals rushing about
Reconnecting
Friends from the present and voices from the past
-
Days have been restructured
Work is reorganised
school is now a joint activity at home
around the kitchen table
Together
Learning is a family event
History in action
Lived history
A shared history to hopefully be remembered
As in the past
The kitchen and the backyard are the meeting places
family connections are reforming and rebuilding
The essentials of a good life being re-evaluated
Evaluating and celebrating life
A slower speed
A forced containment
Cleanliness is next to godliness they say
And now cleanliness is the god
Life has changed and will change
There is no disputing that change is here
Change is not easy
But now it is mandatory
Discussion on it’s structure is still ongoing
And adapting is not easy
Necessary but not easy
Change that will go on into the future
If we are to have a future
-
The resilience of people has been tested
The time of change has arrived
A new order reflecting past values that are re emerging
Family values and community values
Moving back from the individual
Back to the group supporting the individual
The sum of the parts is greater
2020 will be remembered as a time of change
A time of fear
A fear of the unknown
A time of loss and and a time of challenges unprecedented
For all its technology mankind has been levelled by the smallest creature
by a humble virus
Doing what viruses do
The natural order of life intruding on the artificial order of man
to awaken and shock the arrogance of mankind
The year of fires - of floods - of pestilence
Biblical dimensions in a pagan world
2020 the Armageddon of the modern age
-
But this is a time for review not despair
To celebrate resilience and community
The spirit of man
The joy of life
Time to stop
The “pause” in place
review time
A time that had to happen and now we are living through it
The time to remind each other what it means to be human
To remind us of our place in the universe
To remind us of our arrogance and weakness
But also celebrate our “humanness”
To look at others as part of the whole not individuals separate
Time to give the planet a chance to draw breath and renew
To look at and confirm basic human values
To value humanity and nature over artificial mammon
-
Life will continue after the “virus”
YES It will look different
hopefully
It will not be “business as usual”
it cannot be
Hopefully we will reset and be better for it
Reset priorities and reconnect with values
Reconnect with each other
Reconnect with our natural world
Looking forward to working together for a common goal
Not transient monetary or political outcomes
but bigger values
outcomes for our species and its continued existence
Beyond just our small lifetimes
To reunite in the sense and joy of being human
Of being alive and valuing that life
To reconnect with the natural world
Reconfirming that we are an integral part of it
we have forgotten this in the modern world we created
Celebrate being alive
Of being part of a bigger thing than just day to day existence
To reconnect with life at a basic and spiritual level
To reconnect with each other and all sentient beings we share our world with.
Written June, 2020
Dr Geoff Wilmshurst spent 40 years as a professional teacher in disability education. He now spends his time travelling , writing and painting, and enjoying life with his wife Lorraine. He lives in the Blue Mountains in NSW, and finds inspiration for his work in its environment and that of similar places such as Tasmania and New Zealand. He hopes through art and poetry to connect with others, to make a positive difference in their lives, and to share the experience of what it means to be human and part of the natural world.
