We need a shift from an individual to a collective focus

As the days and weeks pass and we're still living in isolation, I'm seeing new patterns emerge in my family that seem reflective of the larger societal change we need to make. With all of us at home, we need each other in ways we didn’t before. Without school, we need to work together and collaborate to get basic things done like cooking and cleaning and make space for learning, working and self-expression. 

Balancing everyone’s needs is challenging. There’s an inclination for each of us to prioritize what we personally want to do, in any particular moment. But when we are too self-centered, there are conflicts and a lack of cohesion and flow.

Ultimately, we’re learning that for each of us to function at our best, we need to help each other a lot more. It’s not that we didn’t help each other before, we did, but now we’re move interconnected.

COVID is teaching us the degree of our interconnectedness and the power of prioritizing collective as well as individual needs.

I can’t say we’ve got it all figured out in our house, far from it. Each day is a work-in-progress, but I do seem some shifts that are positive. I might even go so far as to say that this extended homestay is strengthen us as a family.

We are fortunate to be in a safe place and have all our basic needs met. I know many other families are struggling and in extreme stress. COVID is a time to reach out to friends and family and ask for the help you need. If not now, when?