“Kind words can unlock an iron door.”—Turkish proverb
By doing our best for one another, we’ll get through this.
© Joyce McGreevy

Old Proverbs Help Us Cope with the Pandemic

Anonymous, that endless font of wisdom, once said, “There cannot be a crisis next week.  My schedule is already full.”  This contemporary proverb appears in busy workplaces and hectic households, wherever humans gamely endeavor to keep life on track—even in crisis.

Anyone experienced a crisis lately? A calamity that’s disrupted your schedule for months? Raise your hand. Oh my, 7.8 billion of you? I thought it was just me.

A global health crisis calls for worldwide wisdom, so this week OIC Moments presents the best cultural sayings and quarantine quotes for the occasion. Oh, I see: In the context of the pandemic’s social distancing, old proverbs from around the world have taken on a whole new relevance .

“What is a city but its people?” —Greek saying. The virus turned our world inside out.
© Joyce McGreevy

What, We Worry?

We humans are wired for worry. As the Swedish say, “Worry often gives a small thing a great shadow.” This actually underscores our amazing ability to adapt. Think about it. Here we all are, undergoing a pandemic, yet we still find time to worry that we’re never going to lose those ten pounds or that Costco will run out of toilet paper.

Why? Because our brains are designed to give us a break by shifting our focus now and then from major to minor matters. As the Lebanese say, “Sometimes forgetting trouble is the best way of curing it.”

Perhaps our smaller, sillier moments help us cope with life’s more sobering challenges. Even as coronavirus casts a giant shadow, we humans  somehow manage the day-to-day. As the Maori say, “Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind.”

An old saying from Kazakhstan translates into, “I see the sun on your back.”  This means, “Thank you for being you—I’m alive because of your help.” In the context of the pandemic, it beautifully encapsulates our  gratitude for doctors, nurses, and other essential workers.

“Heavy givers are light complainers.”—Australian saying
Image by Pixabay/Fernando Zhiminaicela

Comfort Across Cultures

A recurring phrase in different languages, cultures, and eras is These are challenging times. Spoiler alert: Humans have always lived in challenging times.  No history book declares, “And for the next 100 years, folks just went about their business, occasionally pausing for cups of tea.”

Thus all cultures speak of comfort in sayings that are as timely as ever. In Uganda, “Even the mightiest eagle comes down to the treetops to rest.”  In Morocco, “Reading books removes sorrow from the heart.”  In Scotland, “Whisky may not cure the common cold, but it fails more agreeably than most other things.”

According to American folk wisdom, “Trouble knocks at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurries away.” During the pandemic, an outpouring of highly creative humor online has lightened our heavy hearts. Meanwhile, an old saying from India—”A heart at rest sees a feast in everything”—gains new meaning as people find heart’s ease through everything from online meditation to families dining together via Zoom.

Music has also comforted the world during this time, reminding us that “If you can move, you can dance, and if you can speak you can sing.” (Zimbabwean proverb) Creating music “alone together” online has inspired our resourcefulness, proving that “One string is good enough to a good musician.” (Mexican proverb)

“Make your heart a green tree, and a singing bird may come.”—Chinese proverb
© Joyce McGreevy

When Lockdown Leads to Locked Horns

We’ve all become close during lockdown. Very.Very. Close. Wherever two or more humans interact, misunderstandings occur. Severe stress makes smart people say and do Stupid Stuff.  As Japanese wisdom reminds us, “Even monkeys fall from trees.”  Fortunately, we can improve: “By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree.” (Proverb of Cameroon)

When nerves are frayed, we may imagine that Everything Is Another’s Fault. Yet ancient Romans said, “It’s silly to try to escape people’s faults. Just try to escape your own.” To quote a Tagalog proverb, “The rattan basket criticizes the palm leaf basket, yet both are full of holes.”

“There’s no place like home” takes on new meaning after months in lockdown.
© Joyce McGreevy

Old Wisdom and New Breakthroughs

What was your favorite subject in school? Regardless, we’re all rapt students of science now. Here, too, old sayings gain new relevance. On the news we see medical experts humbly acknowledging their limits while striving to achieve breakthroughs. They would appreciate the Nez Perce saying, “Every animal knows more than we do.”

Crises also bring out those whose genius is self-proclaimed. But as a South African proverb points out, “No one is great just because he says he is.” Instead, we’re discovering that greatness is rooted in kindness. As an Irish proverb affirms, “A kind word never broke anyone’s mouth.”

“Two thirds of help is to give courage.”—British saying. We’re learning empathy.
© Joyce McGreevy

Timeless Wisdom for Timely Action

Old wisdom tells us it’s time to “Do good and care not to whom” (Italy). Time to support all who are vulnerable, to remember that “A child is a child of everyone” (Sudan). Time to “Be a mountain or lean on one” (Somalia). It’s time, not to seek credit, but to “Do a good deed and throw it in the sea” (Egypt).

“Good will makes the road shorter” (Brazil). We’re learning to respect and protect each other.
© Joyce McGreevy

The Danish have a saying: “He who comforts never has a headache.” In giving selflessly, we gain our humanity.  And if you think you’re too small to make a difference, says one African proverb, then you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.  We can each do something.

For example, a Russian proverb advises, “Do not have 100 rubles, rather have 100 friends.” Millions of people have been economically impacted by the pandemic, yet countless social-media friends have pooled small donations into major support, sending it wherever needs are greatest. As a native Hawaiian proverb explains, “No task is too big when done together by all.”

Cultural sayings endure for good reason. When current events overwhelm us, old sayings help us find perspective. And so, at a time when both social distancing and connection are called for, this Tuareg proverb might just be the perfect quarantine quote: “Keep your tents apart and your hearts together.”

© Joyce McGreevy

What new or old saying helps you “keep calm and carry on”?

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