Ep. 2 - COVID-19, Pandemics & Dealing with Uncertainty

Episode 2 centers around the existential concerns which have arisen in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions of how we situate ourselves when facing uncertainty, and as well as our feelings and attitudes toward succumbing to illness and possibly death come to the fore.  In this episode, the hosts use a phenomenological process called Personal Existential Analysis where we explore the reality of the situation, highlight automatic feelings and impulses which have arisen, identify how we can make sense and understand what it is happening, and then decide what we will choose to do. To explore the reality, we highlighted some facts about COVID-19 outlined by the World Health Organization to touch base with what we know as real about this virus. An important observation was that the novelty of this virus has exacerbated our collective experience of uncertainty and anxiety as well as intensified our temptation to try to make sense of what is happening and to anticipate the ensuing consequences. Typically, when there is much uncertainty, almost everything can become a likelihood or a possible explanation which often has an effect of inducing much anxiety due to not being able to find ground amidst the many possibilities. The openness of uncertainty creates anxiety which then narrows our reality to the point of developing tunnel vision , thus ignoring other relevant aspects of reality, leading us to we act in ways that take away our freedom— cutting us off from other possibilities.

In addition to connecting to reality amidst uncertainty, we are also faced with  many feelings elicited by this pandemic such sadness over the many losses (e.g., loss of freedom, mobility, socializing, employment), fear about getting sick, financial anxiety, anger, and frustration, and more. Amidst these difficult feelings, we can also experience the solidarity with others in our shared experience as well as recognize some of our privilege positions stemming from our health or financial status. In contrast with all these negative feelings, elements of creativity may also be generated during these times of crisis, which makes this experience and our response to it dynamic and potentially generative. This time may be a gestational period, an incubator holding our opportunity to create, to live in a different way, and to feel and appreciate a renewed desire for life. It may be a time to sit quietly and reflect, to slow down, to ask how my day is today instead of pursuing one thing after another. It may offer us the chance to create more spaciousness in our lives and more intimacy with ourselves and others. This pandemic also invites us to deepen our connection to our bodies susceptible to sickness and death, in relationship to and at the mercy of nature. This is a very humbling experience that invites us to reflect on what we are taking for granted and calls us to living a more fully embodied existence.

During these times, our humanity is brought to the fore as we may strive to remain and act as human beings, not to hide our humanity behind masks. This could mean simple things, such as: making eye contact as we switch sidewalks to keep social distancing from others,  seeing the other as a person not as a virus carrier that threatens us, or turning towards the others even if they are sick. Essentially, how we respond to COVID-19 is both a personal and collective task. Remaining open to continual changes and dialoguing with ourselves and others about our feelings and position toward it will help to situate us in such an uncertain time.