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The Stories

D.M., 70, a retired physical therapist in Lakewood, CA

“I have been a Shin Buddhist all my life. […]We relied on each other for help and assistance. When times were hard, everyone shared what we had, everyone helped each other in the fields or to work on a project, be it church, community or neighborhood in need. If you had nothing to give, you offered your kind words, support or offer to help. […] In this time of Pandemic, I have seen many of the things I grew up with and recognize so much of the Shin Buddhist lessons I have heard and seen thru the years…”

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E.K., 73, retired, in Westminster, CA

“Within this new atmosphere, our gratitude, as a Buddhist, for each other and others has grown even stronger through the pandemic. We begin our day with deep appreciation to the many unselfish and essential people that place their lives in front of the mysterious virus that lurks outside…”

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M.D., 19, a pre-med student in Long Grove, IL

“Having talked to my mom about how things are going in the hospital, I feel like it’s really surprising how fragile human health is, and it’s like an extra factor in the fear of the unknown. It shows you how much government itself values life and how problematic the healthcare system can be. Underlying issues with healthcare and government are more apparent, but perhaps with how some Americans have been responding, these issues are much, much more. America will do the most to try and stop a problem, but it’ll work harder to make sure there’s something to blame for it.”

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S.Y., 19, a student in Fairfax, VA

“I have donated to a couple charities, but that didn’t even feel real – I have been so isolated in my house that I don’t really know what’s going on in the outside world now. It’s sad that so many people have died, their lives turning into a number on the death count. What’s even more sad is that I don’t even feel anything anymore. I just want this to be over…”

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J.E., 20, a musician in Evergreen, CO

“The things I had written about – campus life, relationships – all felt part of a world that didn’t exist anymore. This new world of strange memes, my Mother’s purchase of Zoom stock, and the misery in the country was a lot to digest. I’m sure in a few months I’ll write about the absurdity of all of it.”

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E.C., 70, a Shin Buddhist minister in Irvine, CA

“This has been a time of deep self reflection and […] has made the Buddhist teaching of impermanence immediate and ever present. The dharma has allowed me to be open to what is the evolving and ever fluid circumstance. The recent protests over the George Floyd murder are just another aspect of this truth…”

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K.A., 28, a researcher in Chicago, IL

“I’ve been turning to historical accounts forged and recorded by AIDS activists to process my feelings about current events and keep the faith about the political challenges that turn a virus into a plague.”

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M.M., 36, a writer in Monroe, WA

“I asked one guard in the dining-hall why he refused to wear his mask, in light of the death which he could be unknowingly introducing into my community, and he smiled as he responded:”Man, I’m just trying to spread the love.”And I was thinking: Oh yeah, they don’t view us as human. Why would they care if they kill us?”

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Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic is an initiative sponsored by the Poetic Media Lab and the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis at Stanford University.

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