Worrying worldwide trends

Eagle's eye view

Where we live here in the Pacific Northwest, we see a great number of eagles, like this one keeping an eye on the hikers below. I just finished reading a disturbing article in The Atlantic, entitled "Eagles are Falling, Bears are Going Blind," about a strain of avian virus that has become much more virulent than any known heretofore, and it has jumped from birds to other animals, and some of them are mammals, like bears. We have known about the avian flu virus for a long time.

The largest outbreak of bird flu in American history was an H5N2 virus, which led to the deaths of 17 million domestic birds and cost the nation more than $400 million during an outbreak in Pennsylvania that started in 1983. —Michael Greger

What we have going on worldwide right now is, in the words of an avian immunologist:  "I would use one word to describe it: unprecedented. We have never seen anything like this before" (Shayan Sharif). We have already lost more than 58 million avian animals, and now it's spread to new and very scary hosts, like seals, minks, foxes, bears, and whales. We will be hearing more about this virus in days, months, and years to come, I fear.

So far, humans who have been infected by this virus work closely with fowl and other birds, but it has only made them sick; they recovered and have not passed the virus from human to human. However, after we have recently (and not completely) dealt with the suspected bat virus, Covid-19, which ended up killing millions of humans and is still not done with us, it doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy to think of what might lie ahead.

However. It doesn't do any good to stress about possible virus epidemics in our future. We have plenty to worry about already, with climate change causing incredible numbers of unprecedented events, such as droughts, floods, heat waves, and major climate catastrophes around the world. What should a person who is aware of the trends and wanting to do something positive about the situation, do?

The only thing we have that we can actually do something about, is our own mental attitude. I've tried to avoid the news, but I keep coming back to hear what the current situation is with all this, and I read many opinion articles daily, because it just doesn't seem right to stick my head in the sand and pretend it's not happening. It does help to get some perspective on current events, by reading positive as well as negative news.

I also must remind myself, often, that we are all in this together. Nobody is alive right now who is not affected by what is happening worldwide. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor (other than one's personal comfort), we cannot escape the difficulties we face every day. Some people choose to ignore it and put on a brave face, but I can't do that anymore. I wake with the heaviness of grief, not because of any personal loss, but because life itself has become a reminder that we are not being good stewards of our planet. 

So, obviously, I am in need of an attitude adjustment. I'd like it to be a permanent fix, but since I can't have that, I'll muddle through, looking for those little anodynes that help relieve pain. One very positive method is to look it straight in the face and acknowledge what is going on inside of my head. How is it possible that one day I wake feeling filled with optimism for the day ahead, and the next I wake like this, fearful of what's to come? What is different, really?

My mental state. That's the only difference. And that state is as ephemeral and changeable as the weather, the wind shifts and I'm happy, then sad. But the good thing is that it's under my control.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. —Jack Layton

I choose to be loving, hopeful and optimistic. Although I may need to stand in front of the bathroom mirror and repeat those words to myself over and over, I can change what I think and the way that I respond. People have been finding ways to do this since, well, since we came into the world. I went online and found an interesting article, "How to Be Optimistic When the World Around You Isn't." It gives some tips on how to become more positive, which obviously I need right now. It's not a panacea, the world is still going to be a dangerous place to visit, but it's my home, and it's where I can make the tiniest bit of difference by changing my own mind.

Just the smallest little push towards happiness, just thinking about it all, has made me feel better. It's better that I am able to think about it and write it down than letting it fester like a wound inside my head. I have applied the balm of love and respect for my state and acknowledging it, and it's already better. I feel the lines in my face soften and the barest hint of a smile tug at my lips. 

I think of my mantra, the one I repeat many times a day, "May all sentient beings be free from pain and suffering and enjoy robust good health." I sometimes forget to include myself when I say it, so today my goal is to give this dear person, me, some loving kindness and compassion. And I know for a fact that it works, when I change my own mind from looking into the darkness to looking upwards toward the light.

I suspect I'll be in a much better frame of mind when we meet again next week. I will be here, and I hope you will be, too. I feel love spilling up and out of my body, and it's a much nicer place to live in. Yep, it's already better. Until we meet again next week, dear friends, I wish you all good things and lots of love and compassion surrounding you.