The appearance of clean fresh blue skies (under an unusually long pattern of cloudy weather) and green mountainsides ought to be a inspiration to our neighbors- this is what our world looks like when we don't drive our cars so much. The Bay Area is experiencing unprecedented views, generally impossible since the 50's and the coming of AutoSuburbia to the West Coast.
Here's one example (and my apologies to the local photographer whose name I did not note):
As you can see, situated on the MidPeninsula the photo shows (with great clarity) a view from the Palo Alto foothills all the way to The City and beyond. Usually we can't even see across the bay! Now, we could all enjoy more views like this, if people could only slow down and not drive their Rat Race machines so often.
The forcing of the Rat Race to slow down to a standstill or crawl at this time is greeted by many with horror. They are too trapped within it see anything but a negative outcome to their personal quality of life, meaning they are hard-pressed to see what a positive it is for all the rest of us to be able to enjoy and appreciate nature for what she is. And without the daily, impeding presence of humans, the natural world is able to reassert itself, as this next photo shows...
How badly do you really, honestly, need to get the Rat Race back into your life? Many of the folks I know are welcoming this release from a daily grind of commuting and spending hours in a place which, were it not for being employed there, they'd quite probably ignore in favor of the other places in their lives which have a more lasting & meaningful value.
For what good is our Rat Race in the end, if it leads to high stress, hypertension, heart attacks, and a sense that everyone else is just out for themselves and exhibiting it in the meanest fashion?
So there are silver linings to this current world pandemic. Not the least of which is, we get a break from our species' constant efforts to deny our place within the ecology of our planet. Take some time to breathe this new life freely and appreciate it for what it is. Your job, title, and position in society are pretty meaningless when you comprehend your place in Nature and in God's World. All that other stuff, from politics to sports to the economy, are creations and interventions of the human race. And in the end, what can they matter for a soul seeking spiritual freedom?
