Compass of the Times 224

The Move On to a New Stage

Keiko Takahashi

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The Move On to a New Stage

The upheaval of the novel coronavirus pandemic has lasted for nearly three years, and it is certain that everyone’s life, without exception, has been greatly affected by it. From this, I believe that we have become unexpectedly wounded and are now vulnerable both physically and mentally under the pressure of the Time of the Unbelievable¹ without being aware of it.

Over this time, we have had to give up many things, such as going out to engage with people, getting together with others to achieve our goals, and taking actions of all sorts. Such days continued over the time of the pandemic. It is vitally important that human beings are able to act freely. What a blessing it is to be able to meet people when we want to and be able to get involved with them when we wish! I am sure that many of you have realized this once again.

There are also though many things that we have given up and lost during this period.

Now that the infection has finally subsided and the way out is beginning to emerge, it is time for us to break free of the vicious cycle and start anew. This does not mean that we go back to the old ways of doing things. It means that we must move on to a new stage that is better than before precisely because we have gone through this ordeal.

Reclaiming What We Have Lost

We have given up and lost something during these three years of inactivity. We could say that this loss is the vitality that we hold as living organisms and the positive, proactive feelings that provide the power to take action based on this.

A life staying indoors led us to being inactive, as well as shutting down our minds. We turned our backs on expanding our energies outward. This may have greatly undermined our motivation and willpower to accomplish something new, resulting in the loss of the most important thing; that is, our own self, our life itself.

Having overcome such a loss, we are now trying to regain ourselves and our lives to move toward a new stage.

The GO! GO! Walk², with which we engaged as the GLA community this year, can be said to be an effort to build the foundation for this. First, by walking every day, we burn our energy and build up our physical strength. Exercising the body leads to exercising the mind. Furthermore, by working together with family and friends, we deepen our connections and bonds with them.

By the time this November issue reaches you, it will already be the end of the exercise. So, how was the GO! GO! Walk exercise for you?

Unleash the Power of Bonds

The next foundation of the new stage toward which we are moving is not only the individual power of human beings but also the power of our connections and bonds that the exercise has produced.

Our existence is inseparable from this power of connections and bonds. Many of us spend our beginnings supported by the bonds of family. We then grow up and become adults through our connections with many others, such as friends and acquaintances. And now, how much are we supported by the bonds with the many friends who share the same visions?

That is not all. We are children of the universe. All phenomena and creatures in this world are, from the beginning, not isolated entities but are connected in all directions, bound together by unshakable bonds. The unlimited power of connections and bonds flows into us.

Even though it may seem that we live alone, there is nothing that we can do alone. We are able to stand and walk because we are supported by the cumulative history of life and the laws that harmonize the universe. Every action we take is supported by those unlimited connections.

In other words, the power of the connections and bonds flows into us, and we can call forth that power in a way that enables us to resonate with each other. I hope you will spend this month thinking about those connections and bonds.