It's only been a few weeks, and already some people are showing signs
of stress. I'm fortunate not only to be an introvert, one with a strong
inclination towards being a hermit in recent years, but also to have
been doing things like meditation since I was 14.
We're
seeing an apparent split of people into two groups: those who are being
generous, and those who are being fearful and focused on survival.
I have to say, some of the latter are (a) people who have been doing it rough anyway, living from hand to mouth (or pay cheque to pay cheque) and thus have genuine worries about how they and their families will survive, and (b) people who have been harmed by the poor communication from the authorities (in particular, the FAILURE to talk about how people could still get groceries right from the start).
By
now, they may well be feeling embarrassed about how they behaved, and,
on the other hand, those who have behaved with generosity may be
starting to feel the effects of confinement.
From here on, I suspect it is likely we are going to have to take turns at supporting each other. One one day (or week), person X will be strong enough to support others, the next day (or week) it may be person Y. We're going to have to be tolerant and understanding of each other and our respective strengths and weaknesses, and accommodate the changes that will happen over time.
