After decades of economic growth, advancement in technologies, unmatched prosperity, playing and praying, and having fun, a whole lot of fun, it seems as if the entire Earth is now standing still. Nothing is what it used to be. And we are caged, scared like animals in captivity.
After so many days of bad news, from so much pain to so many sick to so many dead to so much stress and so much anxiety, many are shouting with desperation: when will we go back to normal?
Normal?
50% of the world’s children experience violence every year, and every 5 minutes, somewhere in the world, a child is killed by that violence.
Is that normal?
More than 700 million people still live in extreme poverty, including one in every five children with 22% more women than men.
Is that normal?
3.1 million children die each year from malnutrition while each year, 1/3 of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tons worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers.
Is that normal?
More than five million children still die before their fifth birthday each year.
Is that normal?
More than 80% of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or seas without any pollution removal.
Is that normal?
Seven hundred eighty-five million people remain without essential drinking water services, and 2 out of 5 people worldwide do not have a basic handwashing facility with soap and water at home.
Is that normal?
One out of four urban residents lives in slum-like conditions.
Is that normal?
We have the luxury of being quarantined at home, relying on agricultural workers to provide us with food, while two-thirds of impoverished workers worldwide are those agricultural workers we rely on.
Is that normal?
By 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets could be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles.
Is that normal?
Nine out of 10 urban residents breathe polluted air.
Is that normal?
One million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction; that’s 22% of all animals.
Is that normal?
Lacking social connections is as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Yet, more than 40% of seniors regularly experience loneliness. These are our aging parents and grandparents.
Is that normal?
At the current rate of progress, it will take 108 years to close the gender gap.
Is that normal?
Today, 20 million people are refugees, over 41 million people have been internally displaced, and at least 4 million people are stateless.
Is that normal?
31% of all prisoners are held in detention without sentencing.
Is that normal?
Four hundred fifty million people around the world live with mental illnesses. And one in every 13 people globally suffers from anxiety, especially children between 13 and 18 years old.
Is that normal?
Globally, around one million people die by suicide each year. It’s estimated that for every suicide, there are 25 attempts.
Is that normal?
Families are less connected than ever, with an average of 7 hours spent staring at a screen.
Is that normal?
Businesses have 87% of their employees disengaged, and 19% actively disengaged undermining the company they work for.
Is that normal?
Our social relationships are transactional and superficial.
Is that normal?
Our connection with nature, the nature that provides us with air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat is broken.
Is that normal?
Please! Let’s not go back to normal.
In a study published in 2017, pet Labrador and Golden retrievers were stressed just by walking into a room with an odor of a person who was stressed from watching a horror movie. It is suggested that because of stress felt from humans; dogs are having shorter life spans and more skin disorders.
Imagine the diseases with which we have been contaminating the Earth, as with our every step of arrogance, anger, hatred, stress, anxiety, regrets, and tension we exhibit.
In the jungle of life, we have been directionless, either running away from fears or running after infinite desires.
Mother Nature has been gently asking us to correct our course, but we are too busy to pause and listen.
Well, now she’s had enough.
Stop! Go to your room. You’re grounded.
Can you hear a frustrated but caring parent say these words?
Let’s use this time to pause and reflect on what went wrong, and to find our guiding stars toward our existential purposes, our Purposehoods.
Let’s find our way out of the jungle, and head back to the land of potentiality where we are meant to flourish.
Where happiness, success, and fulfillment are in the air.
Where we can grow with ease.
Where we live shared Purposehoods with our families, businesses, communities, and nature.
Where we continue to evolve and expand exponentially, but in the right direction, toward a better future for all.
Please, let’s not go back to normal!
Let’s create a new normal where we live in harmony with nature and all its beautiful creatures.
Together, let’s create a movement to help every person discover and live their life’s purpose.
Let’s unleash the potentiality of every human.
Let’s connect in groups and communities around shared Purposehoods.
Let’s aim to reach at least one billion people in the next 15 years.
Together, we can do it.
We can move with life to a better state of being with ease and gratitude
as we Pause, Breathe, and Smile.
May you all grow with ease.
Join the movement on Purposehood.org
