This week:
WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT:
An appeal to stay empathetic
I heard that we are all in the same boat, but it’s not like that. We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Your ship could be shipwrecked and mine might not be. Or vice versa.
For some, quarantine is optimal. A moment of reflection, of re-connection, easy in flip flops, with a cocktail or coffee. For others, this is a desperate emotional, financial & family crisis.
Some can’t stand the loneliness. Others are going crazy because their World has become smaller. While for others it is peace, rest & time with their mother, father, sons & daughters.
With the $600 weekly increase in unemployment some are bringing in more money to their households than they were working. Others are working more hours for less money due to pay cuts or loss in sales.
Some families of 4 just received $3400 from the stimulus while other families of 4 saw $0.
Some were concerned about getting a certain candy for Easter while others were concerned if there would be enough bread, milk and eggs for the weekend.
Some want to go back to work because they don’t qualify for unemployment and are running out of money. Others want to kill those who break the quarantine.
Some are home spending 2-3 hours/day helping their child with online schooling while others are spending 2-3 hours/day to educate their children on top of a 10-12 hour workday.
Some have experienced near death from the virus, some have already lost someone from it and some are not sure if their loved ones are going to make it. Others don’t know anyone who’s had it and don’t believe this is a big deal.
Some have faith in God and expect miracles during this 2020. Others say the worst is yet to come.
So, friends, we are not in the same boat. We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are completely different.
Each of us will emerge, in our own way, from this storm. It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking, actually seeing.
We are all on different ships during this storm experiencing a very different journey.
–Unknown author
Reasons to Be Cheerful:
Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good. Would the Covid-19 crisis be an opportune time to reverse this tendency?
This episode is not about the Covid-19 epidemic — unless you think it is…
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/reasons-to-be-cheerful/
The Choices Before Us: Can Fewer Options Lead To Better Decisions?
To many people, an abundance of options is a good thing, a symbol of freedom and control. You get to choose whether to spend your Saturday at a movie or a baseball game. You decide whether to try the new restaurant down the block, or to stay in and cook. It’s your call whether to take the job with higher pay, or the one with the better work-life balance. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has eliminated these and other options that we used to take for granted. And for many of us, this sudden contraction of choice has been a struggle.
https://www.npr.org/2020/05/04/850104564/the-choices-before-us-can-fewer-options-lead-to-better-decisions
Long Live Little Richard!
Little Richard has died, aged 87. BBC Archive will never tire of his 1972 interview on Late Night Line-Up.
This is a classic interview!
https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/2691775331059950/UzpfSTE0NTAyNTU3ODY6MTAyMjA2MDQ4MDA4OTcyMTI/?from_close_friend=1
Thanks this week go to Paul S, Dr. Paul C, Arman S-B, as well as gratitude to NPR and KPBS in San Diego!
Please pay it forward.
Love,
Neville
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“I felt in need of a great pilgrimage, so I sat still for three days.”—The 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz
Happy Soul Food Friday! 