In response to rapidly escalating concerns about the spread and impact of COVID-19 across our country and world, Reloveution urges human beings everywhere to remember and embody values of compassion, empathy, relationships, trust, and community.
Fear is coming at us from all sides—from subway cars to social media feeds to company boardrooms—and while fear serves a purpose in moments of crisis, it also often tricks us into forgetting our common humanity and the forces that are far greater than any virus or moment in time. Fear screams at us about scarcity, urges us to compete and compare, and pushes us to resist change, authority, and collaboration. At this moment of uncertainty and widespread anxiety, we feel called to offer solutions rooted in compassion, community, and courage.
We encourage you to practice COMPASSION
To step into Compassion, we must be prepared to see, hear, feel, and respond to the suffering of others and ourselves with respect, love, and understanding. This means seeing people as real-life human beings with their own experiences, strengths, and imperfections. It also requires us to release any inclinations to judge, ridicule, scold, give advice, or dismiss the suffering in front of or within us.
In the coming days and weeks, as we are all confronted with difficult decisions for ourselves and our families, a shortage of resources, and anxieties about finances, security, and safety, we encourage you to operate on assumptions about others that are generous, hope-filled, and positive instead of guarded, suspicious, or judgmental. We encourage you to assume the best and see the good, to lift each other as we climb, and to offer radical empathy whenever possible. Just like you, others are afraid. Just like you, others are attempting to look out for their families. Just like you, others do not have the information they need to feel entirely safe. Just like you, others need love more than anything right now.
We encourage you to check in on your COMMUNITY and acknowledge impacts on the COMMUNITIES of others
We are social beings and even the most independent of us need others to survive. Fear makes us feel alone and isolation leads to depression, anxiety, lack of trust, and a hyper focus on personal survival that blinds us to what is happening beyond the spaces we are in. Check in with your loved ones. Check in with your neighbors. Host virtual coffees with your coworkers. Foster and promote community wherever and whenever you can.
Relovelution acknowledges that all people across all lines of difference are currently affected by COVID-19. We also acknowledge that the virus and the response to it are already disproportionately affecting our most vulnerable and marginalized populations. We acknowledge that the inefficiencies of our healthcare system have stronger impacts in low-income communities of color. We acknowledge that widespread closures of offices and changes to working conditions could mean financial instability and uncertainty for many, and particularly for those who were struggling before COVID-19 existed. We acknowledge that when schools close, it means that many of our country’s young people might be without steady food, shelter, or supervision for an indefinite amount of time, and while paying for or finding childcare may be an inconvenience to some, it was already impossible for others.
We stand in community with all of you, no matter who you are or where you come from. And we encourage every human being to consider the communities of which they are part and to stand with and for the communities they might not always remember. We encourage every human being to move from word to action if and when it’s safe to do so. We encourage you to check in, look out for, and love each other.
We encourage you to be COURAGEOUS
While we certainly cannot hold ourselves to being courageous in every moment that comes, we must find the strength to feel fear and act anyway, to persevere in the face of adversity, to stand up for what is right, to let go of what is familiar or certain, and to face suffering with dignity, love, and hope. We need you to take precautions to stay safe and to keep others healthy. And when fear grows so too does the need for courage. We encourage you to take both bold and modest steps on behalf of yourself, the people you love, and the people around you. We encourage you trust in the power of humanity to do good.
No matter who you are or how much power or influence you have, this is a moment for each of us to model compassion, community, and courage as a way of overcoming crisis, fear, and the unpredictability of the next few months. Reloveution is here for the ride, bumps, drops, and loops included. Please stay safe, stand up for each other, practice love even when it’s hard, and let us know how we can help. And join us in the coming weeks to spread the Reloveution exponentially faster than COVID-19:
Community & Conversation Gatherings
To be in community, share feelings & resources, play games, and connect with other human beings
Wednesdays from 3:00pm-4:00pm EST
Zoom ID: http://bit.ly/communityandconversation
Virtual Workshop: Leading Courageously Through COVID-19
For leaders of any walk of work and life. 50% of proceeds and 100% of donations will be donated to a charity working to alleviate the impacts of COVID-19.
Friday, March 27 – 1:00pm-3:00pm EST
Register: http://bit.ly/courage0327
Host a virtual workshop for your company, church, department, or team
Give your employees an opportunity to get professional development that might otherwise have been cancelled even from their couches! Full training menu is available here and all workshops can be delivered in one-hour, three-hour, or full-day sessions. Email [email protected] for additional information. 50% of all proceeds will be donated to a charity working to alleviate the impacts of COVID-19.
Tell Us Your Stories of Compassion, Community, and Courage in the Face of COVID-19
Share a powerful moment when you saw or heard somebody embody the values of compassion, community, and courage in the face of something COVID-19 related. Send submissions of fewer than 300 words to [email protected] with the subject line: COMPASSION STORY. We’ll share selected stories on social media and on our blog!