Time is sometimes measured by “Before” and “After.” When memory has points of reference across the spectrum of time (chronos), there is a need to identify those points of reference (kairos) that seriously change perceived Life-as-usual. These events mark the separation between “The way we were then” and “the way we are now.” However, the lingering affect, which is hard to grasp, is that something has been lost forever.
These in-breaking events are hugely impactful! What was formerly known and lived will never again be lived the same way. For instance: The day JFK was assassinated, meant the loss of national innocence and vision. On the day MLK was horribly struck down by a lone bullet, so was hope and a dream, for both country and individual. Months later the day RFK was cruelly shot and killed, there was also the painful loss of trust and adoring accessibility to inspiring leaders. Life, as experienced before each in-breaking event, was never the same again. It was if Time had been permanently altered.
Such events continue their in-breaking ways. The discovery at Watergate and the Nixon Resignation on T.V. meant broken trust in the Office of the President. The horror of the Challenger Explosion at launch meant the loss of wonder at space exploration. The awful massacre at Columbine redefined school life and school safety. On a clear, beautiful, Fall day the sudden impactful and devastating events of 9-11 brought the darkened, ugly reality of radical terrorism to our doorsteps. Consequently, air travel has never been the same since. Further back in time on a quiet Sunday, innocence was violated with deadly force at Pearl Harbor, leading to sudden war. Many years before, it was Black Friday; the unexpected stock market crash, which led to over night poverty and the Great Depression.
This time it is the coming of Covid-19. B.C. (Before Corona), life was free and unmasked. Now, since Corona (S.C.), Life is masked and restricted. This in-breaking event has already made an impact on our daily lives and the way we relate to one another. “It just isn’t the same!” Everywhere there is a restless desire to get back to the way things were B.C. But, can we? Should we? For that matter, what do I do now? Consider:
- Recalibrate This is a time to glean perspective on what has undeniably happened to in your life, make necessary adjustments, then go forward in some synchronized way with others. Failure to recalibrate will mean being out of step and out of time with your current Life and the lives of others.
- Remember To remember is to intentionally gather that which has been dis-membered from you; even forgotten. It is necessary to gather that which has become scattered, in order to be whole again. After all, the past as history, if forgotten, will be repeated,
- Reminisce/reflect This does not mean “a sentimental journey back to the good old days.” Rather, is to look back and review through the lens of life-experience. This practice can result in a certain grounded perspective (call it wisdom) on certain things that now hold, or no longer hold, value. Then, by all means, live accordingly now!
B.C. is what once was. Are you passively stuck in B.C. or actively seizing the day given you?
Comments by Ric Ochsner