Someone once said: “Above all, may you live in interesting times.” Damn you Someone!

“Interesting” is obviously an understatement when it comes to describing the state of affairs today but there is hope. Quite a copious amount of hope actually.

1. Less strains on the environment. At the beginning of COVID the gas price hit a low point that I haven’t seen since I was a boy. Overall we are draining less oil from the earth and consuming less energy. It was Earth Day a couple of days ago and she’s happier.
2. People are realizing what is important in life. During house arrests, many people went quiet and started self-examination, self-reflection, meditation, embodying their inner strength. These enlightened souls will reap the rewards for years to come.
3. Family and friends are appreciating each other. In our isolation bubbles we are starting to understand that we are the creator of heaven or hell for ourselves and others. It is a personal choice to be good and peaceful or be mad and toxic. The world will keep turning the way it wants to turn. We create the sense of wellbeing and happiness for our family and friends.
4. Humanity is waking up. Like a sleeping volcano, the population is mobilizing. Important issues are bubbling to the surface; bonds are cracking at the seams; entire continents are shifting; ideologies and values are clashing and morphing; new dawn is rising. For better or worse we are turning a new chapter in the human story. We are given the chance to write the next one.

My last blog “Losing Our Religion” painted a gloomy picture. If our religions are lost then what should we believe in? How can we go on? Where is hope? Well my dear friends, go look into a mirror. You will see a survivor, a creator, a renovator, a believer, a dreamer, a lover of life. Your ancestors survived countless predators, stormy seas, meteorites, wars, famines, genocides, pandemics to deliver you to the world today. They believed in you and your role in the human story.

Whether you are a nurse, chef, accountant, engineer, artist, teacher, doctor, dentist, salesman, farmer, builder, entrepreneur… You’ve contributed to the human tribe in creative and beneficial ways. You are programed to be moral, ethical and loving. If you steal, lie, cheat or kill your body releases toxins to make you feel bad. On the other hand if you give care to a creature in need; you hear the giggles of an infant; you see someone else smile; you bring forth a wonderful meal; you witness a loving moment; your body relaxes and is filled with delicious chemical cocktails. Essentially, you are a machine built to love and be loved.

When a commercial airliner was going down, two passengers unbuckled their seat belts and held each other. When asked why they said: “In the wreckage, we want them to find a couple in love.” In Pompei’s ruins and ancient tombs we see parents hugging their children, families cowering together, lovers embracing.

Out of all the religions there is one last religion left standing. The religion of LOVE. We are born into it, and should never underestimate its awesome power.

We are standing at the end of an epoche. Do we panic and unhoster our pistols or do we keep playing the violin? Do we elbow our way to the lifeboats or have a cup of tea and go down with the ship? When we hear the screams in the dark do we stay back and afloat or go back and extend an oar? The moment of truth is upon us my dear readers. The moment to write the last few chapters of humanity. Will our story fizzle out like a second rate script that failed to pack a punch or will it end with powerful, brilliant explosions of plot twists and magnificent emotional coup de grace?

Only we can turn this ship around and only we can write our own ending. We, the proud inhabitants of this planet. We, the survivors of millions of devastating disasters. We, the discoverers of art, science, music, poetry, plays, philosophy. We, the founders of the humane society, amnesty international, red cross, doctors without borders, mothers against drinking and driving, national geographic society, world wildlife foundation, the special olympics. We, the people who freed slaves, lifted people out of poverty, granted colonies independence, defeated apartheid, gained votes for women, won civil rights, crashed nazism, deposed of dictators, fed the hungry, cured the sick, housed the poor and went to the moon!!! We went to the frickn’ MOON for goodness sake! What can we not accomplish?

We have so much potential. Every single day I ask myself: “Did this day take me closer or further away from a life I want to live?” and “Did my actions and choices help or hinder in creating a world I want for our children?” If I can answer positively to both I close my eyes and sleep.

Carl Sagan said: “If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” Let’s not lose sight of how far we’ve come. Don’t make anything from scratch. Build on what we already know and trust. Build on what our forefathers and foremothers believed in for a millennia. Build on LOVE, surrender to LOVE, be generous with LOVE, practise self LOVE, start and end with LOVE, know you are LOVED, give LOVE freely, make LOVE not just with our bodies but with our mind, spirit and soul, not just to our partners but to strangers, to those who need LOVE most.

I am a believer and follower of the RELIGION OF LOVE. There isn’t any evidence to support this faith and never will be. Nor is there any need. I choose to end my story with LOVE rather than fear and despair. Your choice is your own.

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Published by ZEN WANG

Nuclear Project Engineer turned Filmmaker. View all posts by ZEN WANG