Pause, Breathe: Compassion in a Time of Slowdowns

When I sit at work on break, if I get them, I wonder as to the manner in which to conduct myself. There’s a sense in which the time spent sitting, pondering the time, is both a huge waste of utility and a point of rest and relaxation. I sit in this tension, wondering.

I think about the individuals who come and go, who flutter in and out of the doorways of the restaurant during a pandemic. In British Columbia, we’re set as a province. We have good healthcare. We have a culture of moderate care and concern. People are here for one another.

In this sense, whether a pandemic season or not, people have one another’s backs. British Columbians are good like that. When push comes to shove, even the less well off, they have an ability to show general care and concern for another person.

So, this culture of care is part and parcel with the relatively robust healthcare system. Even in the instances of restaurants struggling to make their way, I sincerely don’t sense resentment for having to shut down. A livelihood is lost. A source of community wealth generation goes away. However, people have one another’s backs.

Similarly, sitting here at the restaurant, we’re in the middle of a two-week lockdown. While, simultaneously, there’s not much of a change in the general culture. People come to eat out less. There’s a sense of greater safety precautions on the periphery.