Humanity is waking up in unexpected ways.

Yes, we are in the throes of a global pandemic, but the laws of cause and effect are still in play. How does one circumstance impact another? In times like these, I find myself looking for unintended consequences occurring that could change the trajectory or face of humanity. This global health crisis is reshaping and changing every aspect of our daily lives and each of us has been given this sacred time to collectively reflect to what’s really important.

Is the total reset of priorities during this global shutdown a result of pandemic fear or is it something else? What is truly the cause and what is the effect of these events that are shaking humanity to its core?

As we are mandated home-safe, humanity has an unprecedented opportunity to reformulate businesses, personal relationships, and navigate complex emotions. Many bristle against this stay-at-home order, while others welcome it, but one thing is for sure, it is impacting us all.

So how are we to look into the opportunities provided during this global pandemic and resultant stay-at-home order?

We know there is always what we see, and then there is what we can’t see. Perhaps one flip side to the pandemic is safety? Maybe it’s also a wake-up call to witness unabated forces that are being played out before us that seek private over collective gain? We see people arising as leaders, and other leaders playing silent and leaving gaps where their leadership could serve. We are being fed a barrage of information that is only — at best — half-researched before it is posted online, or re-posted. We all want truth and justice to prevail and pray that humanity remains safe in these crazy times, even amidst the barrage of information we are receiving. It can all be overwhelming and I know humanity is groaning under a collective malaise from the stress.

I know one thing: the ‘unintended consequence’ of this pandemic will be transformational for everyone.

Not a single one of us will emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic the same as we entered into it. On the bright side I see it as a global consciousness wakeup call for humanity powered by the catalyst of a pandemic, and there are benefits, strength, and hope when we look close enough.

For example, this condition is uniting people closer than ever before. I am a baby boomer who was alive in the 60’s when there was a conscious counterculture that produced great civil unrest. It was a time of great chaos, but also great unification within communities. It was also a time of radical transition. Today I’m watching as scores of people are radically changing beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Even the most intransigent of humans has suddenly found a new flexibility to go with the unexpected flow!

We are also seeing great kindness for neighbors emerge. Care and concern for the elderly as neighbor helps neighbor with groceries, needed medical transport, and a simple acknowledgment that “yes, I have elderly neighbors that I should be checking in on” becomes commonplace. Our once invisible elderly companions now are being considered, cared for, and helped. Yes, we still have people who are bullying others, we have our naysayers, people committed to reporting non-truths, and complainers, but we are seeing the rise of the helpers, and that matters.

Unintended consequences” work both ways, and often circumstances bring out a different range of players to occupy the screenplay of life.

There are those who are subjectively obey the party line in fear whether it’s real or manufactured. There are also those who seek to find the deeper truth, so we see the rise of the detectives and investigators—those people committed to finding what is really going on behind the scenes. Ironically, I see both the cooperatives and the investigators working together simultaneously to help humanity advance and raise its consciousness level. We begin to see the value of each in this tumultuous environment.

I’m called to be an investigator during this time, as you have probably seen through my posts. In this role, I see that my pursuit of the “real story” is important to help all of humanity have the tools and knowledge she needs to be able to make wise, coherent decisions for our future. We all know that we are living in the era of fake news, so it is my hope that some of the research I fall upon will help at least some of you think differently about this pandemic so that you can make good decisions for yourself and your family.

Time will tell which narrative triumphs yet again it puts in motion the law of cause and effect. Personally, I hope I see a rise of more investigators as I believe that the truth that will set us free. Too many things are extremely contradictory that do not seem to add up logically or rationally. Hopefully the deeper truth will prevail, and appropriate justice will follow. Scrutiny can be our friend.

There are many of us out there who question the sincerity of our government and our leaders or our doctor’s ability to be objective about the bigger forces shaping our experience. The biggest question I always ask is who benefits most and why?

But we also need the cooperatives, the helpers, and the people who follow. For who can be considered a leader unless she has followers? Can you imagine a world of everyone bucking the system? My circle is filled with investigators and cooperatives and it makes my life more rich, meaningful, and complete. It also helps my own personal consciousness grow.

What does all this mean for us as a collective?

All judgments aside, I am seeing all people working to survive, to cope, and to do their best. If nothing else it’s a great awakening for a true collective transformation for coming out of the light into the dark or into the dark out of the light?

What can we learn from history that will help us in this season so that we are not doomed to repeat similar events over and over again? What is this pandemic teaching each of us individually and globally?

Here are a few things I’ve seen from human history that we can ponder as we navigate this crisis…

  1. I’d like to believe what the he Chinese TAO states that, ‘the underdog always wins’ … ask yourself who the underdogs are in this pandemic? I am seeing that historically underpaid, under-appreciated classes of people are now being exalted as the heroes of the pandemic! We need look no farther than our frontline medical workers saving lives at great cost to themselves, teachers who are often teaching, caring for kids, and running a household, immigrant laborers who are ensuring fields are picked so we have food, and garbage collectors who are keeping everything clean. Those who were ignored are now being touted as heroes, and it is a beautiful thing to witness!
  2. We still always manage to “shoot the messenger.” Think of those who have had advanced knowledge of this pandemic who were silenced. What can we learn from this systematic silencing of prophetic voices? How do we need to listen more carefully in the future to avoid the unintended consequences of shutting our ears?
  3. Our oppressed people groups are still suffering at a higher rate than the non-oppressed groups. The ‘unintended consequence’ of any kind of oppression has been strength, courage, and unity inspiring many to stand up against the organized oppressor. Ask any person of color with slavery in their ancestry or any East Indian from a lower caste. What will the impact of ignoring the unequal consequences of Covid-19 on communities of color be down the road?

Therefore, I ask what are the ‘unintended consequences’ of the global history that we’re collectively writing at this time?

As Bob Dylan sang some 60 years ago “these times they are a changing’!

Stay tuned and take care of yourself. It was also said in the 60s ‘the revolution will not be televised.’ The forthcoming conscious revolution will take place when people communicate and share facts without a desired agenda, indeed the truth will set us free. Hopefully that’s the ‘unintended consequence’ of COVID- 19.