Sustainable Thinking®
Tags: Sustainable Development, Crisis, Thankfulness, Thoughts, Covid 19

Before we can go on to create a sustainable world, we need a way of thinking that is…

COVID-19 has without a doubt shaken and changed our realities. The deaths that have tolled in thousands were all avoidable had the world sorted out its priorities. This was not the first pandemic and it won’t be the last.

In just a few months, we see the world healing itself through the virus. The pollution levels have significantly dropped, and the natural restoration process has begun. At the same time, we see the flaws in the way we live come to our attention. Our economies have taken a hit, educational institutes have shut down, and economies have crashed. The biggest victim of this lockdown is the daily wager. The realities of the so-called progressive nations have been exposed and the average citizen bore the brunt of this global incompetency. Yet, here we are, tackling our first-world issues of not being able to work from home, manage our time and discipline our day. Our privilege has soon gotten us ‘bored’ and not an ounce of worry follows.

More than anything, our thought process, mental weakness and thanklessness has come to light. What has not come to light yet is the realization.

It is not unusual to feel apprehension and uncertainty in these times, don’t get me wrong. Some people have lost jobs, the families of those affected by the disease have taken an emotional toll and the vulnerable have been left stranded. But, if you zoom out for a bit, hasn’t this been the promise of life? Hasn’t history taught us that already? It can be war, storm or a disease, but these are repeating patterns. You can give them creative names and mask them under politics and propaganda, but the uncertainty that governs our lives is not breaking news. It’s our inability to tackle them that is alarming.

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

We have evolved with technology and have cars on mars, but our thought process stays the selfish, primitive and thankless as it was millions of years ago. The worries and problems of this world are many. The difference in the value of a life of that of an elite and a commoner won’t go away. The opportunities will always feel like they present themselves to a select few. For as long as you operate with an outdated mindset, you will constantly feel that the world and its plot is against you. YOU. Who even are you other than being a part of the problem?

For as long as we celebrate our wins, we will not be able to get over our losses. They are both the same thing. It’s the same spectrum of imbalanced expression. Our recovery times are pathetic but our ability to mould everything for ourselves is remarkable. Our self-righteousness does not go away and the modern definitions of words keep deteriorating. The definition of ego is so egoistic for the one with ego to bear that they end up going in a delusion of thinking they are free of it. The irony.

Our language has taken a serious dip, our expressions lack grace, we don’t want to take ourselves too seriously, and our views lack depth. All of this is a representation of our thought process. The only logical conclusion for the lot that relies on mindless content consumption throughout the day is that their thoughts lack strength which means their minds lack strength. A sound mind can’t have a weak thought. We were not wired that way. A weak mind will lose composure, will fall prey to boredom and stress, will get panicked…and guess what they do to calm themselves down? They watch more of such content that is killing their brain cells. It is a vicious cycle. One that we do not want to break out of. The Netflix, the Youtube, the TikTok's are the plague of our times. There is nothing known as free content and there is no ‘need’ for it in our lives. If it is free then that means you are the product.

You become what you think — Nabeel A. Qadeer

Such uncertain times are a reminder for us to restore our supreme nature of life. It is a reminder to restore the remarkable nature of our brain. It is a reminder to reflect. It is a reminder to let go of all the unnecessary and extra baggage in your life. It is a reminder that you are nothing and your time is ticking. It is a reminder that this world is sustainable, but you are not.