Since the pandemic first unleashed its fury on us in February, Trump has been down playing its impact, often insisting, “It’s going away.” He did this even yesterday as our nation was witnessing the largest single day increase in infections. Oh, he is right as it will “go away”….eventually! (And so will he!)! A bromide I often use in my day to day life is, “This too shall pass.” But as we wait for it “to go away,” or pass it continues to ravage our nation, body and soul, requiring the maturity to focus on the present moment and pay attention to how we can mitigate its ravages. Failure to do so will result bring unnecessary tragedy. People will suffer and die if we do not.

This brings to mind the Ram Dass quote, “Be here now.” Dass was telling us to, “Pay attention” as opposed to our usual state of mind which fails to exercise a prophetic function that lies dormant in our heart. That “prophetic function” is to stand aloof…a bit, at least…from the zeitgeist of the historical moment. It entails an ability to handle the emotional/spiritual duress that this “aloofness” presents to one, a duress that can be described as loneliness, anxiety, and fear. It requires the ability to have seen, and experienced, that we only have a viewpoint to offer, not the demon of objectivity and the seduction of its impenetrable smugness.