Tough Times

My favorite time to observe others is during tough times, because only then can you really see who people are.  The toughest of times unveil all to the exposure of reality and how they have been going about their life.  There is no masking of the truth when times are tough, as is possible in the good times when the majority have a very routine or mechanized life.  Life is easy when everything goes as planned, but what about when things become difficult, unexpected, and uncertain?  

These are the moments in which I base the core of those closest to me because I know what they have been practicing on a daily basis.  In theory, they have been preparing for the toughest of conversations, the toughest of unexpected events, and any other moments in life that can only be tackled properly through constant preparation for the unknown.  I don’t take other words seriously until I get to see how they act in these types of moments.  I find it very hard to trust others until they are forced to act in the uncertainty of challenging moments.  Then and only then, do I know who really know how they have gone about their daily life.  The words in which we speak must be backed by the proper actions in which we take.  That is both referring in preparation too as well as in the moment we are all faced with the natural chaos of life.  

That’s why I am excited to get to observe others in this moment of time of the virus epidemic.  Are you one of the people being super selfish and stocking up on superficial things such as toilet paper?  Are you buying infinite rounds of ammunition to “protect” your own?  Are you one who is attacking others for doing the previous two?  Are you one who is in complete hysteria as if this were the zombie apocalypse?  Are you one claiming it is a conspiracy?  To me, it has been a real treat to watch how others are responding to this “crisis.” 

 Imagine if this really was the end of civilized living as we currently know it to be.  If that was the case, a lot of the concerns of the general public are totally absurd!  I mean what good is toilet paper if the economic system was coming to an end as we know it?  So you have a month of toilet paper, well what happens to you for the next 50 years after that?  Even in investments people may be pulling their money out, but what good is cash if it was all crumbling to begin with?  If it was the end of the world as we know it to be now, it is already too late to do anything about it.  Just as the fall of the Roman Empire long ago, the end occurred long before it was finalized.  

Don’t get me wrong, I get the concerns and I sure hope this isn’t the end of a great time we have had to pleasure to live our lives.  I know the media literally creates the hysteria by how they report the news and that is no joke.  I watched about 30 minutes of the “reporting” on the virus and you would have sworn this was the zombie apocalypse.  I thought for sure after every commercial break this was the legitimate end of the human race.  “Breaking news, this area or town or state has been shut down, quarantined, and surrounded by the national guard to keep anyone from getting in or out.”  I mean do they not understand how most people see that?  They literally had armed personal at checkpoints.  I felt like I was watching a Netflix series or something.  

Regardless of all the chaos, it is times like these that we need those leaders to come out of the woodwork!  Those who have been going about their daily life in preparation for this chaos.  We need clear thinking and intentional action to help guide those who have just been letting life take them on the whims of societal breezes.  Most people are completely unprepared for the months or years or entire lives ahead.  A lot of people were barely surviving the way it was, and things were good or at least the best they have ever been.  So who are you?  Are you one to help guide others forward or one who is like a chicken with its head cut off gathering mass amounts of toilet paper?  

It is time to see who people really are!  In these times of great struggle, there is even more opportunity for those who have been ready for this moment.  This moment was inevitable so why wouldn’t we be preparing for it at all times?  Life is chaotic and unknown, why would you not expect this?  I hope we all step up and take accountability for ourselves now!   I hope we can be accountable for ourselves so that we can better help those around us.  That is what will propel us into a better future.  We should have been taking care of ourselves long before now so that we can team up with our neighbors and extend our positive reach.  We must help each other through these times.  Prove who you are through the actions you take!