They say that in times of crisis people show their true character. Anyone can be cooperative, patient, and understanding when things are going well, and life is good. But it is the noble man or woman who can behave with grace and compassion and even kindness when times are very, very bad. 

Japanese culture and ways of thinking cannot be adequately addressed in a short space, but this Japanese proverb reflects an important and shared ideal: “Nana korobi ya oki” (literally: seven falls, eight getting up) means fall down seven times and get up eight. This speaks to the Japanese concept of resilience. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you get up again. Even if you should fall one thousand times, you just keep getting up and trying again. 

Take a moment to pause and think about some facts. Covid-19 is not the worst crisis known to mankind. We need only look back just a few years ago at the H1N1 virus. It was estimated that between April 2009 – April 2010 there were 60.8 million cases with 274,304 hospitalizations, 12,469 deaths in the America alone. Globally there were over 250,000 deaths in the first year.^[1]The results of the Spanish Flu 1918-1919 were one-third of the global population was infected. It was reported there were 675,000 deaths in America.^[2]

We will get through the Covid-19 pandemic. How do I know? God is still on the throne and in charge of all things. This pandemic will reveal the “Growth Mind-Set” leaders versus the “Maintainers.” How do I know? Every crisis before has revealed the innovators in a post-crisis world. These will be the new leaders that emerge. If Covid-19 is your first time to get knocked down or your one-hundredth time, I say to you respectfully – GET UP! In the face of difficult odds, this is your time for resilience and personal growth. Winston Churchill stated; “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” This is your opportunity for growth, development, critical thinking, writing, creating, exercising, reading, home projects, family time, devotional-meditative time, relationship building, and walking into your dreams and hopes one micro-step at a time, daily!

^[1] https://www.biospace.com/article/2009-h1n1-pandemic-versus-the-2020-coronavirus-pandemic/ ACCESSED 15 April, 2020.

^[2] https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html  ACCESSED 15 April, 2020.