The world is not the same place it was just a few months ago. The pandemic and economic downturn have put humanity’s activities on pause and caused nearly everyone to make significant lifestyle changes. We are required to stay home, conduct business from our living room, homeschool, and face family issues we have shoved under the rug for a long time. We are commanded to not touch each other or our faces. Just a short time ago no one imagined any of this would happen.

When the pandemic began, I wondered “What good could possibly come of this?” Now some answers are obvious. For one, we are present with our families at a new depth. A friend sat on her porch and enjoyed a meaningful two-hour conversation with her 14-year-old son, an interaction that would never have happened otherwise. A Japanese woman who had a big argument with her parents before she went on a trip has returned to live with them, and has made peace with them unlike ever before. A Portuguese woman who was denied entry to England for a work visa, discovered two frail elderly people in her apartment building, who she is now cooking for, and picking up prescriptions. People are connecting with old friends and new acquaintances from far reaches of the globe via Zoom. We are valuing loved ones we belittled and jobs we once complained about. Meaningful moments are happening that we were too busy to enjoy.

It takes a lot to get our attention, but this event has succeeded. Let us reframe it not as a curse, but a wake-up call. Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” “What can I do to maintain my inner peace and help others?” we ask. “How can I use this experience to improve the quality of my life after the lockdown has been lifted?” “Who am I as I now recognize I am united with every other person on the planet in a common goal?”

The answer is simple: Be the light amidst apparent darkness. Your joy, gratitude, and creative self-expression serve humanity and the planet far more than anxiety. Misery has enough company. The world needs people whose minds are clear, confident, and connected to Higher Power. We have meditated, prayed, done yoga, sat at the feet of gurus, and aligned our chakras at Sedona vortexes. Now is the time to put our training into action. Boot camp is over. Now we must apply what we know and live the teachings instead of just talking about them, waiting for non-physical entities to save us, or hoping our kundalinis will rise. It’s showtime.

The pandemic will pass and the economy will recover. But we will have experienced an event unprecedented in human history: a planetary reset. We will have reprioritized our values and recognized the preciousness of our lives and those we love. We will be glad we have jobs to go to, schools to educate our children, the ability to venture out of our homes, the exhilaration of walking in nature, and the safety to touch each other. Things we now take for granted or even complain about will reveal themselves to be blessings. Let us rise to higher and abiding appreciation for the immense good in our lives. Let us use our time and experience wisely. The beginning is near.