Metamorphosis: The Great Transformation

Let's be real.

The entire world is upside down.

I'm not going to list all the problems, shocking events and assumptions of normality that are being challenged every day because A) you probably know them already and B) it can be depressing/anxiety-producing to look at the whole list at once.

What is clear is that something dramatic is going on. The very foundations on which we’ve built our lives are shaking. Social norms (and statues) are crashing.

Is there a person alive who isn’t impacted by the global uncertainties that are rocking the world right now?

I’ve experienced a whole range of emotions in reaction to this new reality. Boredom. Slothfulness. Depression, Grief. Irritation (mostly, but not exclusively, caused by social media). Shock (mostly, but not exclusively, caused by news reports). Frustration. Fear.

Life feels surreal.

I can’t stay in these negative places for a prolonged period without losing my equilibrium. So I’ve been trying to find ways to regain balance.

Here’s what I have so far.

Sometimes in nature, something has to deteriorate before it can grow. A seed decomposes in the ground before it sprouts. A caterpillar dissolves into caterpillar soup before it recreates itself as a butterfly.

Similarly, we are undergoing some kind of global metamorphosis. I feel, on a very deep level, that things are never going to “go back to normal.” Whatever is coming will look very different from that to which we had been accustomed.

We are on a new path.

Part of the way I’m coping is by turning inward. I’m trying to remember that God runs the world. It’s become ridiculously obvious that I have no control. I can’t make sense of anything of significance.

But I can still my racing thoughts.

I can spend less time reading and watching videos about the disquieting breakdown of what passed for society just four months ago. I can stop commenting on social media in a futile attempt to convince someone to change their mind about hot button issues.

I can focus on my breathing. I can remind myself that God is running the show. I can nestle in the knowledge that He has a plan and He is taking us somewhere. I can study more Torah. I can stay open to the something new that is being birthed.

These are the things on which I'm working now.

If you have your own spiritually-driven way to cope with the bewildering changes through which we are living, I would love to hear from you.

Let's strengthen one another.