Covid-19’s Silver Lining

The Chance to Go from Human Doings to Human Beings

You know the story of the boiling frog? If you don’t, it describes that when a frog is in pot of water and you raise the temperature of the water until it’s boiling, the frog will stay in it, until it dies.

For decades not just America, but the world has been in a pot of boiling water where humanity has been seduced away from thoughtfulness, reflectiveness, contemplation, emotional intimacy by the Sirens’ call of conspicuous consumption and gratuitous escapism. As a result, the boiling human race has gradually moved over to becoming a species of human doings instead of human beings.

In doing so, we have sacrificed joy for excitement, peace for exhaustion, emotional intimacy for sex, connection for activities, fulfilment for immediate gratification.

Before there was the Internet, before there was television, before there was radio, before there was even electricity, humans read. They read books, even long books. They concentrated on what they were reading. They thought about what they were reading. They talked to others about what they were reading. Even the US Constitution had Sections and Articles with Roman Numerals, not bullet points.

About ten years ago I was fortunate to have dinner with my late mentor and…