What humans can learn from the pandemic from the point of yoga

If human beings want, we all can learn something important for humanity from the pandemic.

Those who reluctant to be open and learn, and just want to live inside the comfort zone that they built out of a particular social/cultural/religious/ethnical thinking, belief, values and practice, nobody can force them.

Unless one has developed immunity for the virus, or one is completely isolated from all the existing virus carriers in the world, or one is being void of coming in contact with the virus directly or indirectly, any human beings regardless of possessing the different qualities of names and forms of any particular type of nationality, ethnicity, culture, race, creed, sect, language, community, society, social status, financial status, health status, physical and mental condition/ability/disability, profession, education, knowledge, gender, age, sexual orientation, appearance, thinking, belief/disbelief, religion, lifestyle, food consumption, intelligence, political point of view, behavior, conduct, contribution, personality, talent, skill, achievement, and so on, can be contracting the virus, if they haven't developed the respective immunity, and are coming in contact with the virus or one of the virus carriers, whether directly or indirectly.

The virus doesn't discriminate any quality of names and forms.

The virus doesn't pick who that it infects, or not.

Anything that relates to nature doesn't discriminate anyone or anything, regardless of whether human beings believe or disbelieve in 'God existence', or have any particular cultural, spiritual or religious belief and practice, or not, and whether people are being selfish or unselfish and behaving nicely or badly.

'Non-discrimination' is the essence of nature. It's the nature of the universe. The sun, the space, the earth, the water and the air/wind doesn't discriminate. All and everything exist in the universe being supported by all these selfless non-discriminative elements. It's a simple but upmost important truth of all and everything that exist in the universe.

But, somehow there are so much 'discrimination' of this and that exist in the human's world, under the name of different type of 'country', 'nationality', 'politic', 'constitution law and orders', 'all kinds of rights authorization', 'community', 'society', 'gender', 'age', 'sexual orientation', 'ethnicity', 'culture', 'religion', 'spirituality', 'class', 'creed', 'sect', 'tittle', 'status', 'ability/disability', 'contribution', 'achievement', 'food consumption', 'profession', 'education', 'talent', and so on.

'Discrimination' of any kind is nothing but the by-products of ignorance and egoism.

Any so called 'belief', 'teachings', 'values', 'class', 'creed', 'sect', 'title', 'status' and 'law and orders' that 'discriminate' this and that/who and who, are all creations deriving from human beings under the influence of ignorance and egoism, including those who think and believe that they are somewhat superior, educated, knowledgeable, righteous, good, loving, sympathetic, empathetic, ethical and moral, but are not free from ignorance and egoism. As those who are free from ignorance and egoism are void of such identifications, even if these identifications with such names and forms are being recognized as the 'positive' and 'good' qualities by most human beings.

'Discrimination' shouldn't exist at all, unfortunately, the world is full of human beings under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

Some people would argue about 'financial/title status' makes a difference in the pandemic, as the wealthy and powerful ones will get the 'vaccination' in priority than the others who are not 'wealthy' or 'powerful'. But, one must understand that such discrimination and prejudice is also a product of ignorance and egoism. If there's no 'vaccine' available, then nobody is going to be 'immunized' against the virus, regardless of someone is being wealthy and powerful, or not. Before vaccine is available, anyone can try one's best not to come in contact with the virus, if they want. That is universally non-discriminative.

Some people believe that if everyone is financially secured equally under good economy, then there will be no crime, corruption, racism or discrimination in the world. The history has been teaching us that even if everyone on earth is financially secured equally under good economy, there will still be crime, corruption, racism and discrimination coming from survival instinct and greed as well as prideful egoistic attachment and identification towards any particular social/ethnic/cultural/religious/spiritual/political thinking, belief, values and practice, deriving from ignorance.

One of the important role to curb the pandemic is to maintain strict social and physical distancing. This pandemic can also teach human beings, including mental health professionals, yoga enthusiasts and all those sympathetic/empathetic loving kindhearted people who believe that human beings will be sick and die if without any social and physical contact with other human beings, that actually human beings might be getting sick and die because of social and physical contact more than void of social and physical contact at this time being.

Those who feel offended by this realization learning from the pandemic are free to feel and react the way that they want. There's nothing wrong also if people refuse to maintain social and physical distancing due to their belief about human beings cannot live without social and physical contact with other human beings especially when the pandemic is still going strong in the world before the vaccine is available to everyone, which not only risking their own health but also all the others in the community, directly or indirectly.

It's true that some people are suffering mentally and emotionally due to social and physical distancing for a prolonged period of time, but it's not because of void of social and physical contact with other human beings, but it's due to the ignorant egoistic attachment, craving and clinging towards the social and physical contact with other human beings that is why the minds are in suffering mentally and emotionally if the social and physical contact is not available for some reasons. Some people who are void of attachment, craving and clinging towards social and physical contact with other human beings, who are also maintaining social and physical distancing with other human beings for a prolonged period of time, they don't suffer mentally or emotionally.

Those who practice yoga, especially those who teach yoga should have this very simple understanding, unfortunately, even some yoga teachers might not understand this and refuse to practice social and physical distancing, and they actively protest against 'the practice of social distancing' during this time being for the sake of curbing the pandemic.

None can remove the ignorance of others.

Another thing that yoga practitioners can learn from the prolonged pandemic, is the practical teaching and practice of - "Accepting the reality as it is, not necessarily is the way that we would like it to be; understanding that all and everything is impermanent and selfless, where life is not in the control of 'I' of how 'I' would like it to be; be equipped with the quality of patience, forbearance, tolerance, adjustment, adaptation and accommodation to be able to confront with any unforeseen challenges, regardless of success or failure; living in the present as it is, allowing life to be what it is, and it is constantly changing under the law of nature, cause and effect; appreciating everything without attachment, craving or aversion, and just do our best in what is possible at the present moment in life without attachment or expectation towards the fruit of our actions, and it's okay if certain things are not possible in the present moment; and it's okay if we choose to do nothing and let it be, just be in the moment," is much needed in situation like this. Where one doesn't really need to maintain 'positive thinking' and 'optimistic' anticipating that everything will be 'good' the way that we would like it to be. It's okay sometimes things are not okay. One doesn't need to get disappointed or frustrated when things are not being the way that one would like it to be. And there's nothing wrong if one feels disappointed and frustrated, but with understanding that even this disappointment and frustration is impermanent.

While different people have their own different ways of coping with this situation, that's their freedom.

Inquire the truth of everything.