Becare Me O Nongtdu
Jowai, April 18, 2020: COVID-19 crisis offers a clarion call to humanity for self-discipline, self-realization, and self-manifestation.
This article based on my experience during this unprecedented lockdown period.
It makes me realized that the self (human being/individual) is a precious gift of God. He created men and women in His image and He wants all to be saved.
Charles Harold Dodd, a New Testament scholar and influential Protestant theologian, spoke about this issue in ‘Realized Eschatology’ which we can refer to as “Here and Now.” As a Christian youth, I urge the youth and all the citizens of our country to be self-disciple at this time of trouble by following the instruction of the authority. Authority can be elaborated from the highest to the lowest level that is the federal/State Government to the level of districts/villages. All need to heed to the guidelines issued by them through the Health Department who has taken a lot of challenges to fight and overcome this global pandemic.
Coronavirus is a troubling crisis in the world today, but at the same time, it is also uniting people of different countries, religions, and races in our common effort to fight against it.
And this proves one thing to us: that the ultimate goal of our life is happiness, peace, and liberation from suffering. In line with this, I would like to state that self-discipline and self-realization is the first step towards it.
We need to lead by actions and not by mere words, and render service to humanity by using whatever best possible means that is within us.
Because of this crisis, every country has come to the self-realization that people of a country need their residence to be in a state of lockdown and confined in their domain, own state, city, village, society, and family and to some extent own self.
The cause of this unity should be built a strong bond of relationship since this lockdown enables us to discover the self more and more. We know more about our own. We discover the strengths and weaknesses of our brothers and sisters, parents and to some extent even our country.
And in knowing this we tend to help and love more. This boosts our relationship. In knowing the suffering of the self/others, we can treat it better through our helping hands with patience and understanding.
The positive outcomes of this COVID-19 are that we realized that human being is powerless, and only God is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent.
We realized that “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Lk. 18:27).
In our failure, many times we seek His helping hands and in seeking Him through our prayers we are being consoled and satisfied basing upon His eternal assurance: “Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine” (Isa. 43:1).
COVID-19 makes us aware that surrendering ourselves in the hands of God. Every aspect of life is important, and also to inculcate and promote the spirit of humanity towards human beings. This is the responsibility of every person. Self-discipline and self-realization capacities of God are given to us and God will enable us to be more human than just mere existing being.
COVID-19 is indeed a call for self-manifestation that we are responsible for our own-self. When we become responsible for our self only, we can extend our sense of responsibility towards our near and dear ones through our way of life.
We can remind ourselves of the famous quotes of Benjamin Franklin, “God helps those who help themselves.” This helps us to understand the principle and value of self-manifestation. It is high time for us all, to wake up to be responsible citizens of this country, state, city, village, and locality we belonged to. We work out through the best possible mechanism that through self-discipline, self-realization, and self-manifestation we can fight against this pandemic. All we need to do is to begin from the individual-self by keeping the guidelines, which if followed will help to prevent us from further trouble.
As we are regularly reminded by the authority, the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is by maintaining social-distancing, frequent washing of hands and proper respiratory etiquette. For all, it might be difficult due to many factors such as lack of running water, without which frequent washing of hands is impractical.
However, we should never forget that social distancing is the best step to know ourselves more, and in discovering ourselves self-more. Through this, we know how to work out and struggle toward finding self-discipline. In disciplining ourselves we realized many things and in realizing who we are and what we need to manifest accordingly. So COVID-19 and social distancing is a call to self-discipline, self-realization, and self-manifestation.
To conclude, as a concerned youth who is working at the Regional Level for the last two years, I urge the youth of the day as well as all citizens of the country to have a positive thought on this pandemic.
As many are eyeing on the youth as they said: “youth are now the leaders of society and the church.” We (youth) are the one who has the responsibility to instill positive thoughts and proper guidelines for society we live in.
We must sow the seed of hope to the hopeless in this pandemic period; begin with the small gesture and start acting in whatever way we can, be it in our words or deeds. I pray that God, the Mighty Healer will heal us from every wound we suffer.
Stay healthy, stay safe and make sure that we put ourselves on the same side. Again, “God helps those who help themselves.”
[Becare Me O Nongtdu is a youth leader, Jowai Diocese, Meghalaya and a member of the National Executive Committee from North-East Region, Indian Catholic Youth Movement.]