During this confinement it would be absurd to not recognize the intimate way in which we humans are connected to nature.
While some may continue to consider this episode we are living as fortuitous, as if everything we’re going through is a coincidence and has nothing to do with us, the truth is that “cause and effect” is a basic formula. Now is when we feel the effects of our personal actions, and precautions which others see as pointless, begin to show real value.
Now is when I strengthen my resolve: feeding myself on mostly local produce and products, and therefore honoring the land I live in, is more than just a trend. As is contributing financially to the lives of farmers who are in my community.
During this time of hardship, we have to do our utmost to preserve our health, work on our faith, save, and value our resources. Everything is starting to make sense and I realize that carrying a reusable bag in my purse at all times isn’t just a fad. Nor is it presumptuous to keep a cooler and boxes in my trunk so that I can cart away my weekly shopping. Choosing second-hand gifts, composting, and separating my trash isn’t the fashionable thing to do, it’s the right thing to do.
I have witnessed during this quarantine that efforts to wash out and separate each bottle and wrapper hasn’t just been a show of support for our planet’s well being, but it has also been a useful tool to keep little ones busy during the boredom of self- confinement. It’s also the very least we can do for our planet.
Likewise, practicing meditation and yoga is more than just a trend. On days such as these, when the most important things are put at risk, it has become down-right essential to look inside ourselves and reflect. As Lucía Gil says in her song (which has now become an anthem to quarantined Spaniards) “it’s time to hide, maybe that’s the way to find ourselves again.”
I write these words without presumption, but rather as a reflection. Maybe they will be forgotten, but by jotting them down here they carry a certain conscience, intention, and optimism. Because for the outside world, actions, however small they may be, are always more important than not doing anything at all.
Editorial by Betsabé Gómez Parada
Photography by for its use in Yucatán Today
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