Crisis shows the nature of a person. Crisis shows the nature of a community. Crisis shows the nature of a country, and Crisis shows the nature of a leader.
Crisis either causes a person to rise and stand, finding ways to help and share, or it makes someone duck and cover, finding ways to hide, hoard, and shut the door.
Crisis asks: Who are you? How you choose to show up is the answer... and it shows. It shows everything.
I'm not saying it's bad to "stock up" at least a little, to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Nor am I saying that you're a "bad person" if this current crisis has taken you down, made you feel scared, anxious, and powerless.
The vast majority of people reside in the middle of the spectrum somewhere between "What can I do to help, however small?" and "I'm immobilized by fear."
But for the ones on the fringes:
the heroes showing up every day to help at their own risk, and
the cowards who will take supplies out of the hands (and carts) of another person,
this crisis has a shown your nature. And, as Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time."
May we remember what we've seen during these unprecedented times, and may we carry that knowledge forward. Both so that we can choose differently, edging ourselves closer to the heroes in our everyday actions, and also so that we can remove those from power who do not deserve to be there, who have abused their position and our trust, and who have chosen self over service–in whatever industry, organization, or area of life they reside.
Photos by mostafa meraji on Unsplash