May The Force Be With Us All

COVID-19 is taking a toll on human lives and spirit. As of today, there are ~251K confirmed deaths around the world (~70K in the United States alone). Surreal, unprecedented, unimaginable are words being used to describe the situation unfolding right in front of our eyes.

While only a third of 2020 is in the books, it has been quite a year already. We have almost forgotten about the deadly fires in Australia, the locust infestation in parts of Africa, and the devastating floods in Brazil as we deal with the outbreak of a pandemic whose impact is going to be far-reaching.

Those who survive the disease but succumb to the financial aftermath will feel the trembles for years to come. As of May 1st, over 30 million, yes, over 30 million people have filed for unemployment. Out of a job, many have not been able to pay their rent. More are struggling to bring food to the table. And an increasing number are going to, if not already, miss their healthcare coverage. The situation is stark and may none of your loved ones experience this.

However, many around you are already going through this hardship right, and the human spirit is shaken. And everyone can do something about it. Here are a few pointers to help. The only cost you need to incur is time.

Connect and Engage

Take the time now to connect or reconnect with people in your network and beyond. An email here and a phone call there to someone you have not spoken to in some time will go a long way. Allow them to share their life and open up a little to share yours. These times are an excellent opportunity to connect at a human level.

Be Responsive

When others reach out, be responsive, be present. It takes a lot of courage for a human being to set their ego aside and extend an offer to reconnect with someone they may have lost touch with in the past. Reciprocation makes that angst go away rather fast. It does not mean you have to drop everything and connect unless the situation demands that. It just means acknowledging the receipt until a more in-depth exchange can take place.

Skip Judgment

Judging someone for their actions requires questioning the motives. The basis of this lies in distrust. Skip all of that. Start from a place of trust and give people a chance. It will allow you to have a meaningful conversation.

“May the force be with you” has been used to give each other hope, sense of power, and further the belief that one can do whatever they set their mind to. We are all going through a turbulent time in one way or another. All of us need that extra strength and energy to see through this.

May the force be with us all.