Your perspective on a certain matter is to a large extent determined by the vantage point from which you view a certain matter. Say you live in a small town in Namaqualand or on a farm in the Karoo your view on the Corona pandemic may be that it is perhaps not that bad. Perhaps you hardly even know anybody that has contracted the virus.
On the other hand, a friend who works in a city environment told me that about every 2nd or 3rd day at work they hear about a colleague who had lost a loved one due to the virus. One person even lost four friends in five days and one presumably contracted the virus when groceries ordered online were delivered to their home.
Let us compare
Similarly, we experience the whole Covid-19 pandemic, the restrictions and the accompanying hardships as extremely adverse conditions. But let us compare our situation to what people endured in the previous century.
Born in 1900
Imagine you were born in 1900.
When you’re 14, World War I begins and ends when you’re 18 with 22 million dead. Soon after a global pandemic, the Spanish Flu, appears, killing 50 million people. And you’re alive and 20 years old.
At 29 you survive the global economic crisis that started with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange, causing inflation, unemployment and famine. Then at 33 years old the Nazis come to power. Turning 39, World War II begins and ends when you’re 45 years old with 60 million dead. In the Holocaust 6 million Jews died.
When you’re 52, the Korean War begins. At 64, the Vietnam War begins and only ends when you’re 75. (Seen on Facebook – Original source unknown)
Born in 1985
A person born in 1985 (now 35) thinks his grandparents and great grandparents had no idea how difficult life could be, yet they have survived incredible hard times.
Today we have all the comforts in a new world, amid a new pandemic. But we complain because we need to wear masks. We complain because we must stay confined to our homes where we have food, electricity, running water, Wi-Fi, even Netflix! None of that existed back in the day. But humanity survived and here we are.
# Change in perspective
Viktor Frankl who survived the Holocaust during WW2 said that even in the most adverse conditions and even when everything is taken from you, you can still decide on how you will react.
A change in perspective can work miracles.
Perhaps we need to rather focus on what we do have and be grateful.
Zig Ziglar gives an excellent example of how a change in perspective can change your life in the following video:
Even the wise king Solomon in Proverbs 4:23 emphasizes “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Therefore, let us be thankful that we are alive and for every privilege we do have and let’s spread a positive vibe in whatever we do and wherever we go.
Do you feel like a square peg in a round hole in your job and you don’t know why? If you are that person, a Career Direct Assessment (available online) will help you understand. It will not only show who you are, but will also point you in the right direction.
