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Some of my thoughts on various topics……

11/3/21: THE UNSEEN EPIDEMIC AMONG US

by Rev. Maryam Weidner

There is something we, as human beings, all share at this moment in time that transcends all cultures, political orientation, socio-economic status, geographic location, ethnicity, age, or sex.  But as pervasive as it is, most people aren’t aware of it.  It is rarely acknowledged, much less understood.  Yet it eats away at our mental, emotional, physical, and even spiritual health.  What is it that unites us in such an injurious way?  Simply stated:  Grief!

Yes, grief.  Most of us know grief as that which consumes us when someone we love dies or is close to death.  It is the deep sorrow we experience from loss.  Grief drains our energy, causes sleeplessness, fatigue, heightens emotional sensitivities and can bring ‘brain-fog’ that inhibits mental concentration and clarity.  Is this starting to sound familiar? 

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our world and how we relate to one another.  Commonplace activities we used to think of as ‘normal’, like attending school in a classroom, going out to dinner with friends, or visiting loved ones changed dramatically.  Some lost an entire year of schooling.  Some lost incomes, housing, and a sense of stability.  Some lost intimate relationships.  Some lost friends or family to a deadly virus.  Combine these personal losses with the collective loss caused by catastrophic weather patterns, political divides, racial inequities, displaced migrants, homelessness, and food insecurity… just to name a few of the issues we face as a global society.  The natural reaction to loss triggered in human beings is grief.

Humanity has lost a lot over the last several years…the world is not the same place as it was even four years ago.  What we thought of as ‘normal’ mostly doesn’t exist anymore.  We are all experiencing a sense of grief and loss on some level.  It serves us to acknowledge this grief, feel it, and treat it as such.  

The innate, human response toward someone grieving the death of a loved one is compassion. You may have noticed how voices soften and we speak more gently and thoughtfully to the grieving person no matter our history with them. We expect those grieving to rest and conserve their lessened energy.  We reach out to assist them and run errands for them. 

Might we invoke this same compassion now, recognizing the loss we all carry in varying degrees?  Might we become gentler and kinder with each other…and ourselves?  Might we reach out to help each other?  Might this bond of grief unite us as one human family?  In what ways might we support each other through our losses and tackle the challenges of a changing world together?

Maryam Weidner is an artist, facilitator, ordained minister and spiritual adviser.  She has much life experience with death, grief and healing in addition to her studies with Ram Dass and attending Death Doula Training.  She counsels caregivers and others experiencing grief.

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