A Personal Response to Covid-19

I am a senior citizen, soon to become seventy four in a few days. Apart from that I am a diabetic since the last forty years suffering from peripheral neuropathy as well. In short, I am what is termed as a high-risk patient. Apart from that I am happy to say I neither smoke nor drink Alcohol.

Let me start from this point. I was a social drinker and a rather heavy smoker. Fortunately, it was on being diagnosed with Diabetes, that I began a process of introspection. I realized that I was damaging my internal organs. With much difficulty I stopped drinking and smoking completely. (Thank you Diabetes, you saved my life.)

Confronted with Covid-19 since the last one year and forced into isolation, I felt I was once again being gifted by life the opportunity to introspect.

The basis of a healthy Spiritual life is Conversion. 

There is only so much one can look outside for health and healing or for that matter “Happiness”, that elusive state of mind, for which we are always searching, but it always seem to remain just out of our reach.

Today, after a year of introspection, I have to confess, happiness is not outside of me, but very much a part of me, within me, an expression of me. It only needs to be uncovered. Circumstances of birth and life, always create for us a belief in conditional love. It has been no different for me. Most of us unfortunately never really get of that treadmill of our search for happiness, our search for love, “unconditional Love”. Instead, like being trapped in sinking sands, we get disappointed, hurt, frustrated angry and get more deeply sucked into bitterness and depression. This soon creates a “depression” of our all-powerful, God given Immune System. Result: we are open to every sickness and disease. And worse to Auto-immune sicknesses that attack the very immune system that is meant to protect our bodies.

In this last year of Covid isolation, I got a chance of being, so to say in a prolonged retreat of silence, prayer, reading, music and confronting myself, my beliefs, my attitudes, my relationships, and most of all my preparedness for the ultimate reality – Death.

I spent time in sincere forgiveness. Asking God for forgiveness and people for forgiveness is totally secondary. In fact it is not even necessary. Primarily I realized, I have to forgive myself. 

It’s only now that I have learned to address the God in my heart. It is only now that I understand those famous words of Jesus from the Cross, “Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing”. Jesus exonerates his accusers; he declares them innocent. There is NOTHING to forgive.

Happiness is Unconditional Love. No one owes you and you owe no one. Drop all your expectations, all your attachments, all your fears, hurts and whatever; allow pure love to rise to the surface, to your consciousness. Become Love, become Divine and no sickness will touch you.

“….they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:18

A final word. I have not become a saint. Far from it. But I do experience a deep abiding Peace.