On SARS-CoV-2

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The humans are calling the symptom constellation caused by this viral life form “COVID-19”.

If you’re anything like most humans I know - and I’ve been here studying your wonderful species for some generations now - the current pandemic has you feeling either scared, indifferent, intrigued, or overconfident. Well, that’s how it looks from orbit, anyway. I’m having Sbirgulon work on our remote sensors so I can get more granular with our readings.

FEAR

[ photo credit: @open_photo_js ]

If you are in the scared camp, allow me to infect you with an idea from the classic novel “Dune”: fear is the mind-killer. Here’s a poetic reflection on the fractality of reality: an overreaction of the immune system is the cause of fatality in people afflicted with COVID-19, and the overreaction of people in society is what damages our ability to respond swiftly and effectively to the pandemic.

OVERCONFIDENCE

[ photo credit: @roadtripwithraj ]

Speaking of overreactions, let’s talk about the overconfident camp. I spent a lot of my life being arrogant to a fault. Even my self-deprecating humour was based on the grandiose idea that no matter what anybody says, I am the Universe’s gift to the Universe, so it doesn’t matter what jokes are made at my expense; you can’t damage an ego big enough to span multiple biomes on my homeworld. That was the level I was on. Nothing could touch me, not an insult, not a coronavirus, not a Vepigian Poisonfly.

I was young; about 638 of your Earth years. I regret nothing, but I’m certainly grateful I’m not like that anymore.

I forgive myself now, only because I accept that my previous level of confidence came from a sense of insecurity. Being proud of what you’ve done can be healthy, until it becomes poisoned with comparisons that lead to insecurity. And when you’re healthy and scared - especially when you’re so secretly scared that you don’t realize you’re scared - that leads to an imbalance, an insecurity that results in you doing all but strutting around and licking public doorknobs. If you find yourself scoffing at people who turn down a meetup or walk further than usual from you, it’s worth trying some mindfulness to gain an intuitive understanding of how you’re feeling, if only to learn more about the human condition. And while I am 100% certain none of you are doing this, I feel compelled to say: don’t lick doorknobs.

INDIFFERENCE

[ photo credit: @sharonmccutcheon ]

If you’re indifferent, it probably stems from a similar sense of insecurity that comes from a sense of lack of control. While someone like a clinician must be able to control their emotional engagement moment-to-moment, there is a stage at which complete emotional disengagement becomes a problem. Walking around dissociated from one’s feelings can be comfor-… well OK not really comfortable, but not uncomfortable. Dissociation/indifference is not something that lends itself well to digging your toes into the sand of human experience in a healthy way. 

The point is, our readings from up here show that human neurology has the architecture to take some fairly extreme actions, and for completely understandable reasons. If you realize you’re pushing something away or avoiding a feeling, I want you to remember this article telling you this: skip right past the part where you feel guilty or angry, and get right to loving yourself for being able to recognize parts of yourself that might be a little tough to handle in some way.

It’s like getting in a hot tub: it can be uncomfortable to start, and you might want to avoid it altogether, but once you get in there, it can be pretty therapeutic, as long as you don’t stay too long and overheat.

INTRIGUED

[ photo credit: @mattpalmer ]

Finally, the intrigued camp. This is less of a camp and more of a party. Not a lot to say here, except this: don’t let interest become a form of emotional dissociation as well. Real people are suffering and attempting to stop that suffering in homes and healthcare facilities all over the world. This pandemic is a new occurrence in this period of humanity, and I’m frankly impressed by how well everyone is dealing with it! It could be a lot worse now, and it could go either way in the future, but so far everyone is staying overall chill (save for some supply hoarding and profiteering) and I’m a little proud of humanity.

It would be wise to take a hint from China’s response, and undertake that level of social action without the need for intervention by the authorities. Let’s prove that we can use our freedom to temporarily self-impose the kinds of rules that can starve this virus of hosts, and prove that humans can flatten this curve like Mario flattens those who would hinder his journey. There are links below that contain more information on what can be done to this end.

I would say “let’s all join hands and sing a campfire song”, but like… let’s skip the hands part. And the gathering around a central location part. Sing into the Internet, I’ll feel you from wherever I am. And if you click the button below and send us an email, we promise to read it and help you find what you need, or even just listen.

Much love, and best wishes for all Earthlings dealing with new Earth things!

We’ll be out here rooting for you.

Sad Guru out.

HELPFUL LINKS:

WHO https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen

BC CDC http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19

Ministry of Health https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

CMHA https://cmha.ca/news/covid-19-and-mental-health

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