After Shock

 Looking at the "world" today, there are countless people saying things such as "the world is sick". In further explanation, they repeat media reports of all the negative events that are occurring. Most of these events are either broad or close to home. One asks, why? My take is that we are, globally, having "after shock". The pandemic affected every person on this lovely blue "marble", our planet earth. There was no escape other than vaccine and since the "world" responded by making sure we, and our loved ones, went that step to protect human kind, we got through it. Not everyone got through it and I believe that we are still in a state of grieving. Grief behaves in so many ways. The stages of grief are described by those keen on human psychology are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance/hope, processing these.  They have no particular order and there must be stages within stages. I am not an expert but merely one who meditates on things like this. In my form of meditating, I do not empty my mind and make cooing sounds. I open it and let whatever flows from outside inside to take only a look but not allowing entry. What I see when I peruse the news daily on line and in the radio air, I sense that the shootings and wars and crimes: one against another. shows these stages when looking  at the broad picture. In short, what's going on in the world? We are grieving. Covid as we call the enemy that gripped us all, is mostly over. Too many are still suffering the physical after effects, but that remains what I call "after shock". When we were in lock-down, we could no longer associate  in large groups. That aspect was important in making us feel we weren't alone. In the pandemic, we could no longer find relief in understanding that we actually stood together as a people. Many, who hungered for the larger picture of their human situation in their lives, were suddenly by themselves. There was no opportunity to get out and let it out. There were no big parties or celebrations with friends and family. Associations at work or play or duty or learning or social life at all could happen. Those tending the sick, were forced to do  jobs but at great risk and sacrifice. The reached exhaustion and there was no end. The entire world was affected. It was war. When, for the majority, it ended after two of more years of stress, we all, vaccinated, could go outside and about, and remingle. But it isn't that simple for everyone. We were, still in a state of post traumatic expression to one degree or another. It can be called "after shock". The waves of it are mostly dwindling, but some odd and dreadful expressions of it can be seen around us. When we were in our small groups or alone during the pandemic, we had to look closely at our own personal selves. Sometimes, too closely. Although we loved the person or persons that we were, we could no longer find  outlets amongst other groups. We had to face up, like in a convex or concave mirror, who we really were. Most found ourselves as never before and were filled with its comfort. Some, not.  They react and remain in an opposite realm and are expressing it. We are in after shock but we are climbing out of it, each in our own way. We remember that the earth and all its people are gifts: what we love and who we love and who we are. Let's take joy and hope.