Symbols for Crisis

Danger and Opportunity

“The symbol in Chinese for crisis is made up of two ideographs: one means danger, the other means opportunity. This symbol is a reminder that we can choose to turn a crisis into an opportunity or into a negative experience.”

Virginia Satir

          Please forgive two things: one is my ineptitude with the beautiful Chinese symbols, and the other is for suggesting that this pandemic is simply a “negative experience.” This pandemic is a disaster for the whole world, and I certainly do not mean to minimize any part of it. We, here in Alabama, are beginning to slowly reopen the economy even though the number of infections and deaths is still going up and testing is not widespread. There is great danger in that, but I also realize that people are feeling panicked about their livelihoods and grateful for even partial reopening. There are no perfect options here.

          Virginia Satir was the mother of couples and family therapy. I had the privilege of attending one of her seminars toward the end of her life and found her to be incredibly wise and still “juicy” in her seventies. Full of life. She wrote extensively about what we have a right to expect in relationships; even wrote a list of Five Freedoms: “You have to freedom to see and hear what is, to say what you think and feel, to feel what you actually feel, to ask for what you want, and to take risks on your own behalf.” All of these seem cogent and applicable to our present circumstances. While there are protests going on around the world, and particularly in the US, to re-open the economy, we must also look at what is—we are still on the upward trajectory of a deadly virus. This virus, and the disease it causes, are stunning even the people who have worked in the field of epidemiology for decades. It spreads quickly and easily, and while you do have the freedom to “take risks on your own behalf” as Virginia Satir said, you do not have the right to cause harm to others.

          One person’s freedom ends where it begins to infringe on the health and safety of others. In the US we are inclined to think of our own “rights” first, simply because we have enjoyed enormous freedom to think, say and do what we want, and we cherish that. But we have an opportunity in the face of this dangerous virus to consider the right to life of others. A crisis is both a danger and an opportunity. Tens of thousands of people have already died here, and hundreds of thousands across the world. Surely, we consider it our duty to protect and preserve the lives of others, even if it infringes upon our freedoms. If not, we need to look at ourselves clearly—in other words, look at what is. We have lost any moral high ground that we may ever have enjoyed. We can no longer think of our country as the “a shining light in the darkness.” We will simply be part of the darkness. Is that truly what we want?

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane