Despite all the grief and destruction the pandemic has wrought, it has presented us with an unprecedented impetus for forward movement in our personal understanding.
These new and frightening times have forced us out of our habitual ways, toward new patterns of thinking and behaving.
We’ve had many opportunities to question just about everything.
- Is my living situation bringing me happiness and joy?
- If I want to be elsewhere, what’s keeping me where I am?
- Why am I living in a place, in a job, and in relationships that aren’t working for all involved?
- What am I gaining? What am I losing? Am I aligned with my highest purpose? How do I want to spend my time? Who do I want to be?
Questioning opens choices.
Among the major choices we’ve had to make is whether to be vaccinated.
Looming over this important question there’s the larger choice of whether we want to live in a black-or-white world or be open to look at dissenting opinions. To agree or disagree, without demonizing or polarizing those with opposing views.
I’m fully aware of the impassioned arguments on both sides of this very polarizing issue, and I’ve taken note of the raging stream of gross generalizations, and the dearth of calm, rational discussion.
Emotions are running high over this life-altering decision, which can affect us and others.
Unfortunately, emotional reactions and objectivity generally inhabit different worlds.
When we move out of emotional reactivity into calm responsiveness, we open doors for true understanding.
One way to become more objective and responsive is to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and imagine how they arrived at their choices. Another way is to question how we came to our own conclusions.
Do you know how you formulated your opinions and made your choices? You may have more in common with those holding opposing viewpoints than you thought.
Are you vaccinated? What factors impelled you to decide to take the jab?
- Were you afraid you might become ill and/or die?
- Were you wanting to protect others?
- Whose views on the scientific basis for vaccines did you trust?
- How did you inform yourself about the vaccines’ safety?
- Did it simply seem like the right thing to do?
- Did you take the jab because your job required you to?
- Did you choose vaccination because it would allow you to travel, dine in restaurants, or attend sporting events?
- Were you swayed by the opinions of family and friends – or a fear of censure and being ostracized?
- Do you believe that, even if the vaccines are imperfect, they are an imperfect solution to a major threat?
- Are you upset, uncertain, or on edge about vaccination?
Have you chosen not to be vaccinated? What are your reasons? Do you question the vaccines’ toxicity? Are you afraid of potential short- or long-term side effects?
Who are you listening to? Do you disagree with the science as it’s presented? Do you distrust the motives of the vaccine advocates? Are you angry at medical censorship that discourages objective evaluation of alternate prevention and treatment protocols?
Do you have a religious objection to vaccinations? Do you believe that forced vaccination violates your body and tramples your individual rights? Are you upset, uncertain, or on edge?
If you’ve made the decision to vaccinate out of fear, and another made the decision not to vaccinate out of fear, don’t you have much in common?
If you’ve both based your decisions on polarized sources of information, are your views, in fact, closer than you think? Are you both upset and uncertain?
If we hope to increase our understanding, we need to listen to the reasoning of those with whom we disagree.
We may never agree, but if we can find commonalities we’ll be less likely to portray others as ignorant, malevolent, or both. And we’ll be a lot likely to move toward solutions.
Thoughtful people find their understanding expanding as they discover their underlying unity with all creation. Only in the calm inner space of Spirit can our hearts expand and find true inspiration to listen, work together in the midst of this crisis.
For information about the services we offer at Pacific Naturopathic, please give us a call at 650-961-1660, use the convenient Contact Form to get in touch, or follow the link to: Consultations – Pacific Naturopathic. Thank you!