Sabr and Shukr
2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for a lot people professionally, financially, emotionally, mentally, psychologically, and socially. However, while 2020 has been a difficult year with the political, climate and public health turmoil. I hope to share some of my reflections on the quarantine and Covid-19 to help us to take some lessons from this difficult time and make it a time of growth for all of us:
- Blessing of Time
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic we were relegated to staying in our homes. Many challenges arose from this, but the silver lining in staying at home was that some of us got to get valuable family time with our loved ones. Also, we were blessed with the time to resolve unresolved issues within our families and in our own lives. We also had the opportunity to reflect, plan, strategize and ponder upon the direction our lives were going.
Many of us complained about having to stay at home and yes staying at home has its challenges, but to be blessed with time and appreciate the time we have is so important. So many who have lost loved ones in 2020 either due to natural causes or due to Covid-19 would have begged for the time we have that we so easily complain about. How many of us complained about not having enough time to do start a hobby we’ve been putting off, to start that side hustle we’ve been wanting to do for such a long time, not having enough time to workout, or relax?
The question now is that we do now have the time what will we do with it?
- The Blessing of Health
So many of us have seen the symptoms or experienced the symptoms of Covid-19. Our health is a blessing and we should be more grateful for it. We also need to start being a lot more self-aware of what we are consuming and how we are being healthy or unhealthy in our own lives.
- Our Tongues
We’ve been mandated to wear masks to protect others from the spread of Covid-19. As we cover our mouths we should reflect upon the state of our tongues and what comes out of them? Do we say words of healing or of pain? Do we speak the truth or speak lies? Is what comes out of our mouths harmful or beneficial to those we interact with?
- The Meaning of Community
In these times we’ve learned the meaning of community. Our community is not just simply our neighbors who live close to us in our neighborhoods or in our cities. It’s the entire world—we are a global community inexplicably connected in some form or fashion. The spread of Covid-19 has shown us that we all are connected and that if one of us falters or fails at following directions it doesn’t just impact an individual but can set off a ripple effect that can impact hundreds and thousands of others.
5. Space
We’re being given directions to keep distance from each other due to potentially spreading Covid-19 in close proximity. We should reflect upon this in our lives and begin thinking about relationships, addictions, bad habits and other negative things we may want to distance ourselves from. We also are being much more aware of the way we are using space as well. What spaces are we occupying and how are we using those spaces? Are we using them effectively and productively?
- Relationships
In these times our professional, personal and family relationships are being tested. It’s harder to socialize in person and also the distance between loved ones and others can be extremely difficult. However, this distance also gives us a chance to take inventory of our relationships and truly reflect on who we want to keep close and who should keep at a distance or simply stop socializing with. Are our relationships healthy? Are the people in our lives positive or toxic influences in our lives? Are our relationships shallow or are they deep and meaningful?
- The Pandemic of Egoism & Consumerism
The 2nd pandemic we’ve uncovered during this time is egoism and just how selfish some within our society can be. This is a spiritual pandemic that is probably not a surprise to some, but it shows just how dangerous egoism can be when individuals think about their lives in a “me, myself and I” mentality. Literally our egos and our egotistical actions can literally take lives.
We’ve unfortunately also seen the ugly consumerist mentality where shelves were left empty and some individuals. When the pandemic first became a problem within the US we saw grocery store shelves empty at alarming speeds. People fighting at stores and others hoarding supplies. It’s unfortunate to see some of our egos so ugly to consume, hoard and have the inability to share.
- Priorities & Focus
In these times of quarantine we’re being given time to prioritize and focus on what’s important. What is it truly that is important to us and our lives?
- Self-Awareness
The pandemic has altered so many things in our lives. This includes the way we conduct ourselves in public, in our offices, stores, etc. It’s impacted businesses and the way they provide their services and impacted so many industries and businesses. This shows us that we need to start looking at our own actions and be self-aware about our own actions and its impact on others and ourselves.
- Life & Mortality
Last but not least this pandemic and quarantine has taught us the importance of life and has made us pause to reflect upon how we are living our own lives. We also are being taught an extremely important lesson that our lives are so fragile that a virus so small can go airborne and be lethal to us. Likewise, how many other small things that are toxic to us are we doing or allowing in our lives or consuming in our own lives that are having a negative impact on our own lives and others around us?
How are we living our lives and in what state will we want to die? What legacy do we want to leave behind? How are our relationships with others? Our families? Our loved ones? With Allah (God)?
These questions and many more regardless of where we are on the religious or spiritual spectrum are questions we need to ask ourselves and we must begin to reflect upon our lives and our deaths.
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What are some reflections you’ve had?
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