Always an interesting question: should your heart or your mind rule your decisions?
Generally speaking, we tend to make rational decisions, which means mind. We analyse a situation and make a judgement upon which we then act. It's my contention that when it comes to decisions which directly affect people, we tend to make our decisions less rationally. Especially when it comes to people we know or with whom we are directly confronted.
In the current pandemic crisis, the decisions made, have become very obvious. Greed and Fear are still the prime motivators, both of which are generated by the mind.
For example, the news reports mentioned the reactions of different countries to the pandemic, which vary significantly, from those which are in denial and don't do anything for their people - don't vote for them next time, you know they are not on your side - to those which have applied stringent precautions to protect their population from this virus. And, of course, all those which have done something but not too much. In each case, it's individuals who make the decisions. Some have advisers - also individuals - who have their greed and fear scenario pushing their advice forward. So, for example, In the USA, President Trump apparently listens a lot to nationalistic religious fundamentalists, many of whom seem to be convinced that God looks after his own and they have nothing to fear from this virus. Some of the advice he's getting has resulted in his ignoring the science until too late and now the country is in lockdown with huge numbers of dead. His focus is apparently on the economy and not on the people, so he's also talking about reducing the steps for avoiding contact. So, an example of greed ignoring the facts - decisions made by mind , See this article as an example: The Road to Coronavirus Hell Was Paved by Evangelicals).
Similarly there is already a huge number of people looking to make a buck out of the disaster. So the number of phishing cases around the world has increased, using as bait the fear people have of corona virus. The conspiracy theorists are having a heyday generating fake information, again playing on people's fears and greed. For example, there are new disinfectants suddenly being produced by those who sell alternative solutions to the ignorant and trusting., Pay now and get protection against this virus with our wonder product proven to work by thousands. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Actually, dealing with this crisis, is very simple for the individual and doesn't involve fear or greed, just common sense. Do what you have to to not catch it - keep your distance - and do what you have to to not pass it on if you have it - keep your distance. That's it.
So what we are also seeing is a lot of decisions being made which come from the heart. These are the huge number of positive things people do to help and support each other. Not all of them equally successful, but done from a wish to help and support. That is what I mean when I talk about decisions from the heart. Like the schoolkids here, who, when they were not allowed to go to school, organised themselves to do the shopping for those who can't go out and to help in whatever way is needed for those less able. That's what I'm talking about! What people will remember is those many small, positive efforts made by those around us and the tireless efforts of all the healthcare and nursing people around the world.
My heart is with the heart and my mind with the mind. If I can remember that what is important is the heart and the love and the kindness and the thankfulness and if I make my everyday decisions coming from that place, aided and abetted for the practical details, by my mind, then I'll be doing the right thing.
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