The most disturbing lesson in this pandemic has been the selfishness of so many. I was surprised by some of my so-called "spiritual" friends who have joined in with the cry for "personal freedom," with no willingness to make, even small personal sacrifices, for the health and welfare of others in their community. Wearing a mask in an indoor public place is not a big ask. Frankly, that selfishness of those friends, who do yoga, meditate, who practice "sending love and light," has been the most puzzling. But then I came across this quote by Bell Hooks and realized that this must have been a phenomenon long before the pandemic. She wrote "I am often struck by the dangerous narcissism fostered by spiritual rhetoric that pays so much attention to individual self-improvement and so little to the practice of love within the context of community." She hit the nail on the head. And in my opinion as a psychologist and in my own spiritual practice, it's not possible to live a passionate life with purpose if we put our own feeling good above sincere compassion for others....and compassion is an active word, it's more than "sending love and light."