March, 2020. Covid hits Belgium. It is day 3 after the quarantine announcement in Antwerp City. As I walk out the door, I notice, for the first time in a few decades, so many children playing outside… People simply enjoying a walk in the sunny weather. An unusual sight for a speed-driven society. When did we stop doing that?
I continue my way and sit down in the park. Out of nowhere, I hear two people speaking Hebrew. Not a common thing in this area, so, reminiscing the social skills of the warm and open Israeli heart, I quickly say “shalom“. Before I know it, we talk and I share about my past in Israel. Ever since I was 22, I took trips to the Land of Milk and Honey. When I was 28, I went to live there for about 3 years…
Here’s the thing, and I’ll be straightforward. This land and people taught me mountains of lessons. Maybe most of all, they taught me about brother-and sisterhood. They seem to have a natural instinct to be of help to one another. It’s not all rosy, no, but, at the end of the day, they see and care after eachother, strangers and relatives alike. Whether it’s innate in their DNA, written in the seed of their soul or a quality learned through historic survival, they feel connected. They need eachother.
No human being is an island. We all need eachother. Being in Israel reminded me of the meaning of community, of being part of a whole. Everytime I went there, different places, different people, different time, I experienced what it’s like to be a part of one larger body. I remembered that acts of kindness, generosity, hospitality and love are for free.
Disasters, tragedies, wars and viruses confront us deeply. But I believe they also give us a chance to change our ways and come closer to our purpose as human beings, as a human race. To “Love thy neighbour as thyself”, in our home, in our building, in our community. Nationwide. Worldwide… The wisdom of this sentence is a continuous journey for me and I feel I am only at the beginning. I touch the surface of this theme a little deeper in “We are all one – and we’re in it together“.
The video below by Rabi Manis Friedman reached me recently. I wish to share this with you and, whether you are atheistic, spiritual, religious, believer in aliens or anything else, it doesn’t really matter.
The ‘good way’ is the one that brings more light and love to you and the people (or aliens) around you. What matters is today, what we can learn, moment to moment, how this situation can bring us closer to ourselves and eachother. Can we see and take the opportunity to live our lives more deeply and meaningfully?
Every moment and every day is a chance for a new start.