Q: Dear Todd, so do you personally think that the COVID pandemic and being alone mostly, separated and the lack of connection and community was good for people? I certainly don’t think so. What’s your perspective? Being still, quiet, finding peace! So meditation is possibly the most important thing anyone can practice. But I personally think connection within the community is equally, if not more important.

TODD ANSWERS: I don’t think there was anything good about the COVID pandemic, but I do think that good things could have come out of it. Some people responded to the lockdowns by eating lots of sugar, while others took the extra free time to get in the best shape of their lives. Some people responded by drinking more, others learned to bake bread or meditate. In no way is a pandemic a good thing, but there will always be unforeseen catastrophes that are beyond our control. How we respond is everything.

We are social animals. We are interconnected, interdependent beings. We are stronger when we can be there to support each other. Perhaps the greatest lesson from COVID is just how much we really do need human-to-human interaction, something I think many people took for granted.

But when that connection is taken away from us, we can always respond with wisdom and peace. My hope for everyone is that when life throws us curveballs, we can stay present enough to keep our eye on the ball, not panic, relax, and get a hit anyway. Meditation is the practice that prepares us to do exactly that.