bird flu and you

Fred at Fragments From Floyd has been writing about the bird flu.

I clearly remember standing at the podium in a biology classroom in 1981 telling my biology class about a new and disturbing viral disease that attacked the immune system. In some populations it was highly infectious and there were no known cures present or forseen. I told those students I had a bad feeling about this newly-described disease, thought previously to be limited to African Green Monkeys. Six months later, the evening news had given it a name: Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome--AIDS. Thousands might die, they said.

This morning I had a terrible sense of deja vu. I pulled up a web page to show my class via the overhead projector. "This looks like a biological problem with the terrible potential of AIDS, but could spread much more quickly" I told them. Then we used this to talk about antivirals, antibiotics and prevention, epidemiology and population issues related to modern health concerns--like this one....

if it's not common now, human to human infection could be widespread soon: unfortunately this viral variant readily picks up genes from other viruses. Once a human or other animal is infected with both viruses (H5N1 and a flu type that already infects from human to human) the possibility of recombinant forms exists. Indeed, the experts are predicting that it is only a matter of time before this happens--a case of when, not if.

I see the potential mortality figure of 100 million deaths world-wide more frequently this week and coming from increasingly credible sources like the World Health Organization. Others feel WHO's figures are far too conservative and have projected up to a billion infections. Let's hope they are way wrong.

i really appreciate the manner in which fred explains this issue and clearly shows his perspective and degree of concern. another post shares some of Fox News' report and a suspected case in France.

i always wonder what to do with information like this. where to store it in my being.

recently i explored my own personal medicine wheel. I reflected on the meaning of and my own personal Purpose, Leadership, Vision, Community, and Management. Within my purpose I wrote:

I offer encouragement, nourishment, and support while holding space for, acknowledging, and honoring what is. Additionally, my purpose is to connect with innocence, purity, truth, trust, and authenticity, always learning from reflections around me.

so in this moment curiosity and concern about the bird flu is my reflection. accepting what is means reading this report with open attention. Connecting with innocence is accepting the simplicity of and truthful evololution of how this lethal virus can spread through humanity. connecting with purity and again with truth is not being injected with fear. hearing an alarming piece of information and allowing the concern to authentically arise within me does not mean that i have to be captured with fear. or, in regards to the recent election, overcome with despair and anger (notice i said overcome -- which to me is different from feeling dispair and anger). i feel like, to be authentic, i must remain connected to my core, to my purpose and my vision, accepting the realities of this world... all of the hardships and trauma and misfortune and disasters and terrorism and torture and genocide and murder; and i continue to offer encouragement, and nourishment and support.

another quote from my new favorite book, Chamalu: The Shamanic Way of the Heart : Traditional Teachings from the Andes

The Wanderer needs to know how to live in all realities, with the same fullness, coherence, and love. Then waves of peace and oceans of harmony will flow from within him... When everything is going well, there is no merit in being well -- any idiot can manage that. It is a question of being at peace during the storms, the adversities, in the worst circumstances... [Happiness] is our natural state of being, happiness flows spontaneously when we stop complicating things, when we see everything as a challenge, as a teaching, as an opportunity to keep growing.

i don't think that i would use the word happy, though i'm not sure what word would work better. i know that there are many times (especially lately) that i feel an array of deep emotions that i would definitely not label as happy. and yet, i am so utterly content and accepting of the challenges, teachings, and opportunities that present themselves to me via my emotional state.

i'm kind of rambling...
i guess my point is how important it is for us to maintain our connection to our core, seeing, appreciating, and loving Beauty while honoring, acknowledging, and accepting the realities of life. sometimes the external world gives us plenty of stimuli, inviting us into fear and hopelessness and despair. it is our challenge, as people living in truth and acting from the heart to stay connected to our Radiant Selves and shine in fullness, coherence, and love AND stay connected to the realities of war and violence and injustice and infections and (the list goes on), taking action in the areas where our heart leads us. (i seem to be also speaking to michael's post on Spiritual Passivity)

well, i've just jumped around and hit a lot of different topics. i'd love to hear some other perspectives on any of these.