Spirituality and the human
Since our last iteration, Coronavirus has continued as a plague on human life on several continents, and there is (curently) social disruption about the value of human life and which lives matter, in one nation. In March of 2020, the Covid-19 aggregated 3015 deaths in China and 267 deaths across the globe.
In these days of the coronavirus – and threats to public health – as well as your own personal health, we need to be clear-headed about the decisions we make – particularly in the times that create stress and challenge for ourselves and for many, many other people. What is the best way for me to make important decisions at this time? How can I know I am making the right decision? What feelings will I have if I go ahead and do as I wish? What do we do with all this media information about who is right, who is wrong, is there a vaccine, should I take this or that solution? We need to use discernment, along with our common sense, and our spiritual sense. All these – together – can guide us on the path of life.
In these days of coronavirus, many are speaking about emergence from lockdown and care for our planet – and climate change in particular. The International Day for Biological Diversity (UN Observance) is a world-wide relevant reminder that we must take action to care for the only Earth we have. The theme of the International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May 2020 is “Our solutions are in nature“.
In 2001, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and in December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21 May to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
Lockdown, restriction, working at home, loss of income, home-schooling children, crowded house. Perhaps we are even uncomfortable with our own company, or those that we home-share with. Hope is a precious commodity. What sustains hope?
Prayer search intensity on Google rose around March 11, the date when the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 a pandemic. In Northern Europe, few people searched for prayer before COVID-19. There were smaller increases in Northern Africa are due to the high initial levels of prayer searches. The largest absolute increases occur in South America and Africa, some of the most religious regions of the world.
Once again we write from lockdown, where the (worldwide) total confirmed cases of Coronavirus is 3,567,001 (up from 95,000 in March 2020), with 50,056 persons critical and intensive care, and we note – with humility – total deceased at 248,312 persons. In March of 2020, the totals were 3015 deaths in China and 267 deaths across the globe. Life is change. One great teacher of humanity says that “Life thrives on Death“. Many observers tell that we cannot and will not go back to life as it was before. Much has changed, more is to come. Here, we look to the Full Moon and the planets for the approaching time.
In times of crisis, humans have a tendency to turn to religion for comfort and explanation. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Daily data on Google searches for 95 countries demonstrates that the COVID 19 crisis has increased Google searches for prayer (relative to all Google searches) to the highest level ever recorded. This rise amounts to 50% of the previous level of prayer searches or a quarter of the fall in Google searches for flights, which dropped dramatically due to the closure of most international air transport. Prayer searches rose at all levels of economic status, inequality, and insecurity, but not for the 20% least religious countries. The increase is not merely a substitute for services in the physical churches that closed down to limit the spread of the virus. Instead, the rise is due to an intensified demand for religion: We pray to cope with adversity.
