By now the internet is awash with listicles with titles like “10 things to do while in quarantine” . The items range from the obvious , to the altruistic , to the Zen-like .
Also on the list is “It’s A Jungle Out There” by Randy Newman, best remembered as the theme song of “Monk,” TV’s agoraphobic detective. “It’s a jungle out there / disorder and confusion everywhere / No one seems to care / Well I do / Hey, who’s in charge here?” Prescient, no? Others on the list include “I’m On an Island” by the Kinks, “Don’t Let Us Get Sick” by Warren Zevon, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by the Police.A dog-eared copy of German author Hermann Hesse’s “Siddhartha,” his retelling of the story of Prince Sakyamuni and his search for enlightenment, was in every college student’s backpack and on every hippie bookshelf in the early ’70s .That’s enough to recommend it, but under the present circumstances, Siddhartha’s tale is also resonant for one incident.
These days it’s fashionable to talk about practicing “mindfulness,” a somewhat more neutral term that doesn’t have the associations with “New Age” beliefs and super-gurus like the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Jesus went for 40 days and 40 nights without food, but then he’s the Son of God. I’m just a regular dude, but I’ve gone for a week with just water.
Lockdown Playlist- Done Read Hermann Hesse’s “Siddhartha - malcolm gladwell's 'what the dog saw' Establish a mindfulness practice - alot 30min-1hour me-time at the veranda Try a fast- Doing IF for more than a year