Shaken or Stirred
With regards to the corona virus, there are plenty of discussions happening at various levels - the level of individual, family, company, city, country and even global level. However, I see very little discussion at the mankind level. Mankind has been conquering thing after thing ever since the mastery over fire, wheel, language, etc. Mankind has progressed through agriculture and industry and electricity and computers and aeroplanes and rockets and medicines and atomic energy and what not. Now, for the first time, there seems to be a setback and an uncertainty whether our progress will continue as before or not. The coronavirus has literally stopped us in our tracks. So, I raise a fundamental question: At the mankind level, are we
shaken or are we stirred? Shaken implies that the coronavirus has eroded our confidence….we have a problem and are not sure how to overcome it. We are disturbed and have to slow down to find our bearings. Stirred implies just the opposite – we see the problem as an opportunity to progress further, perhaps in a different direction, perhaps at a faster pace.
A vast majority of the population seems to be shaken. This segment comprises mostly people who have lost their jobs, or their income has reduced considerably. Some may have fallen below the poverty line. They may be least concerned about progress of mankind such as when electric cars will become mainstream, when Apple will launch its new iPhone, when Bullet Train will start running in India and when mankind will step on planet Mars. The shaken population is worried about self, not about mankind. It is concerned about the present and immediate future, not about the years ahead.
However, there are some people who are not shaken, rather they are stirred. They are starting new businesses, they are creating new business models, they see great opportunities for themselves, and also for mankind as a whole. They have the positive spirit inside.
These are the people who will lead us into the future. They are the ones stirring up those shaken by the virus. The faster mankind shifts from shaken to stirred, the faster we will overcome this catastrophe.
Arjun was shaken on the battlefield of Kurukshetra when he saw who his opponents were, but Lord Krishna stirred him into battle on the foundation of dharma. Likewise, let each of us do our dharma and stir up the shaken people around us and create a brighter future.