The Coronavirus Is Testing Our Foundations

Life has changed a lot in a short period of time. Things are moving fast, and we are struggling to catch up as individuals and as a collective. The coronavirus came out of the blue like a tornado, and most of us thought it would come and go as usual—but this tornado is like nothing else we have seen. It’s shaking everything inside and outside of us, and it’s testing the foundations of our consciousness and society.

I never thought I would go through something like this. I thought that Trump was the dark time of the Millennial generation. The coronavirus has nothing to do with Trump, but that sensation of feeling lost and powerless is not new to me. I go to bed every night knowing that for a few hours I will forget about the world—as I did for days and weeks after Trump’s election. When I wake up, I remember where we stand.

Eventually, I got used to Trump, and I know I’ll get used to the new normal. That’s because humans are resilient and are able to adapt. The coronavirus has hit my country hard. My little Italy has been suffering, and hundreds of people are dying every day. I feel further away from my parents because I know that even if I wanted to go see them now, I wouldn’t be able to travel. This amplified distance is heartbreaking.

People who left their countries of birth know that their hearts will forever be divided into two pieces—and so is mine. My mind goes back and forth between thoughts about my homeland and the United States, where I live. I feel the situation in both countries, so the virus for me has a double effect. I’m not scared because I avoid lingering in possible catastrophic scenarios, but I’m certainly sad.

I’m sad because many people are dying and because I know that many others will die in the days and weeks to come. In addition to mortality rates, many people are losing their jobs and can’t take good care of their families. I don’t trust the government of the United States because it hasn’t prioritized the health care system. Now it has been scrambling to find solutions to face the crisis, and healthcare workers are afraid of not having the necessary resources.

These are the foundations. This is what happens when the tornado hits. If the foundations are weak, the house will crumble. I have a feeling that many countries, including the United States, will have to face the fact that they failed, and they’ll have to rebuild from there. I focus on the idea that this test was needed, and we’ll come out of it wiser and stronger. Death also means transformation, and this is where we’re heading.

In my everyday life, I have been working on staying present. Babies, puppies, and nature don’t know anything about the coronavirus, and when I spend time with them, I forget about it. At times, negative emotions and thoughts arise—I accept them, but I try not to engage with them. I’m aware of them, let them pass, and go back to the present—over and over again. The more I do that, the more I feel that negative patterns lose power over me.