we must take care of each other

Recently, a fake letter claiming to share Bill Gates’ thoughts on the COVID-19 crisis has been doing the rounds, and while it has received a polarized response from several people online, there are a few important reminders that we all must internalize as we go through these terrible times: 

• We are all equal.
• We are all connected.
• Our health is precious.
• Life is short.
• Our true work is not our job.
• We must keep our ego in check.

I just finished watching the highly-rated documentary Before the Flood last week as part of The Karma Yogi “Sharpen Your Axe” Challenge and all these things apply to the global warming and climate change crisis as well. We have to take care of ourselves, but we have to take care of the planet and other fellow human beings as well. It’s time to think global, not local. To think big, not small. We have to take charge and be responsible global citizens. I think it’s best that we don’t identify ourselves with respect to our nationality, our culture or whatever. We are all humans, we are all the same species. Money, power, prestige, all these things are transient, at the end we are all passengers in this journey of life. Nature is the great equalizer. In the end, it’s about doing our best, doing the right thing and working for the right causes. The rest doesn’t matter.

Here’s a great line from the letter that we can keep at the back of our minds during this global health crisis: “Our true work is to look after each other, to protect each other and to be of benefit to one another.”