Extract

"Crises, upheavals, and illness do not arise by chance. They serve as indicators to correct our trajectory, explore new directions, and experiment with a different path in life."

Carl-Gustav Jung

Foreword

Who could have imagined at the beginning of 2020 that, two months later, half the world's population would be under lockdown, there would be no more planes in the sky, no more tourists in Venice, and we would be experiencing a historic global economic recession? The Covid-19 pandemic, while not the most serious humanity has ever known, reveals the extreme vulnerability of the globalized world. When the Black Death decimated more than a third of Europeans (approximately 25 million people) in the mid-14th century, the Chinese and Indians were not affected, and they were probably not even aware of it. For better or for worse, we are all connected today, and a simple virus, emerging in any corner of the globe, can bring the global economy to its knees and impact the lives of nearly 8 billion people. Because it is indeed every dimension of our existence that has been disrupted by this pandemic: our family and professional lives, as well as our relationship to the world, to space, and to time. We are affected or anxious—for ourselves and for our loved ones—by illness and by death. But also by material insecurity, by the loss of our freedom of movement, by the impossibility of planning for the future.

Faced with such upheaval, we can grit our teeth and hope that everything will return to normal as quickly as possible. This seems illusory to me. Not only because we cannot emerge from such chaos in a few months, but above all because the root causes that led to this situation will persist after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. As I explained at length in my 2012 book, *The Healing of the World *, the contemporary crisis is systemic: all the crises we are experiencing in our globalized world—economic, health, environmental, migratory, social, etc.—are linked by the same logic of consumerism and profit maximization, within the context of deregulated globalization. The pressure exerted on the planet and on human societies is unsustainable in the long term. If we try to go back to "business as usual," we will lurch from economic crisis to economic crisis, from environmental crisis to environmental crisis, from social crisis to social crisis, and from health crisis to health crisis. The real solution is to change our logic, to move away from the consumer frenzy, to relocate entire sectors of economic activity, to regulate finance, to move from "always more" to well-being, from competition to collaboration.

These major questions, crucial for the future of humanity and the planet, are the subject of another book I've been working on for over a year with Nicolas Hulot (which will likely be published in the second half of 2020). For now, the question I want to address in this short work is quite different: how can we live as well as possible in times of crisis? While awaiting the hypothetical paradigm shift that more and more of us are hoping for, what inner solutions can we find to cope with the health crisis, the upheaval in our lifestyles, and the anxieties that follow? How can we try to remain calm, even happy, in an increasingly chaotic and unpredictable world? Or, to put it another way: while we wait for the world to change, how can we change ourselves or transform our perspective to adapt as positively as possible to a reality that destabilizes us?

I therefore conceived this book as a survival and inner growth manual—in other words, a resilience manual—offering readers advice on how to live better during this painful and destabilizing period. I drew much inspiration from philosophers of the past—such as the Stoics, Montaigne, and Spinoza—who lived and thought during periods of profound crisis and who provide us with essential insights for navigating adversity. But I also draw on more contemporary considerations, particularly from neuroscience and psychology, which offer us valuable keys to coping with the disruptions to our fundamental biological, psychological, and emotional needs.

May this little book, written in the urgency of the present time, bring lasting light and comfort to all who read it.

1

Feeling safe

As I was beginning to write this book, I had a phone conversation with a very dear Canadian friend, a yoga and qigong master: Nicole Bordeleau. She asked me what I thought our most fundamental need was: connection or security? I answered without hesitation: security. Connection is essential, even vital, because it provides us with what we need most: security, both inner (psychological) and material and social.

To better understand this, let's consider two major theories: the conatus of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza, and the hierarchy of needs theory of the psychologist Abraham Maslow. In the 17th century, in his major work, Ethics , Spinoza asserts that "everything, according to its power of being, strives to persevere in its being." This effort ( conatus in Latin) is a universal law of life, as confirmed by the renowned Portuguese neurologist Antonio Damasio, a fervent disciple of Spinoza: "The living organism is constructed in such a way that it preserves the coherence of its structures and functions against the many vicissitudes of life (1)." Spinoza then observes that, just as naturally, every living organism tries to progress, to grow, to achieve greater perfection. He observes, finally, that each time he succeeds, his vital energy increases, and he is filled with a feeling of joy, whereas each time he encounters an obstacle, feels threatened in his being, or his vital energy diminishes, he is overcome by a feeling of sadness. The entire Spinozist ethic, therefore, consists of organizing our lives through reason, in order to preserve the integrity of our being and increase our power to act and the joy that accompanies it. Spinoza reveals two mechanisms of life: self-preservation and increasing one's vital energy and capacity for action. In other words, he explains that security and growth are our two most fundamental needs.

Between 1943 and 1970, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow developed and refined a theory of motivation embodied in a universal hierarchy of human needs, which is not unrelated to Spinoza's theory. At the base of the pyramid, we first find our basic physiological needs: breathing, drinking, eating, sleeping, and eliminating waste. Next come the needs for safety: being healthy and living in a stable and predictable environment. Then come the needs for belonging and love. Finally, there are the needs for esteem and recognition, and at the very top of the pyramid, the need for self-actualization. The idea developed by Maslow, very well illustrated by the pyramid shape, is that new motivation arises when a more fundamental need is satisfied: I will only seek self-actualization once all my other needs have been met.

While I find Maslow's hierarchy of needs relevant, its ranking can be open to criticism. Many authors have observed that certain needs, such as belonging or recognition, are just as fundamental to life as physiological or safety needs. For example, we know that a baby who doesn't receive love will be unable to develop psychologically harmoniously, or even survive. We can also see that some people will do everything in their power to satisfy a need for recognition, even though their basic needs are not fully met: a teenager from a poor family might sometimes prefer to have the same smartphone or the same expensive sneakers as their friends rather than eat well or live in a decent home. Similarly, the need for self-actualization, which includes the spiritual dimension and faith, can be expressed by those whose other needs have not been fully met. I have met very poor people all over the world who possessed an intense faith that helped them to endure their miserable circumstances.

Therefore, Maslow's hierarchy of needs should not be taken as absolute. Nevertheless, it can be observed that in times of profound crisis, such as the one we are currently experiencing, it seems to regain a certain relevance. Survival has abruptly become humanity's primary motivation once again. We saw this from the very first signs of the virus's spread: food stores were emptied. At the supermarket near my home, I saw people with shopping carts overflowing with pasta, mineral water, flour, and toilet paper, who were unconcerned by the sarcasm or criticism of other customers. The first reflex in a survival situation is to ensure that our physiological needs can be met, regardless of whether we appear selfish or ridiculous. In a major crisis, basic needs take precedence, and safety needs come second: once the refrigerator is full, we self-isolate at home to avoid contamination. And it is only once we feel safe that we can allow our need for belonging to be expressed, by calling our loved ones and friends, by strengthening—within a protective distance—our emotional and social bonds. The needs for recognition and achievement will come later, once all the others have been met.

In the relatively stable and affluent Western world in which we have lived since the end of World War II, most of us had escaped the fear of no longer being able to meet our most basic needs for survival and security. Indeed, the first three needs and motivations (physiological, safety, belonging) could be grouped into a single category: that of security. The following two (recognition, self-actualization) would belong to a different order: that of our growth (in society, but also spiritually). The first three are essential for survival. The following two allow for the unfolding of life, both socially and personally. We thus find ourselves back with the two great needs identified by Spinoza: self-preservation (security) and growth. And we can generally say that when our security needs are met, we can focus more on our growth needs, which bring us the deepest joys: the joy of blossoming love, of professional achievements that allow us to fulfill ourselves and be recognized, the creative, intellectual, and spiritual joys of our evolving minds, and so on. But when we feel a profound sense of insecurity, the need for protection overrides the need for growth, and the search for serenity and emotional peace overrides the search for joy.

However, there is an important interaction between the base and the apex of the pyramid, between our need for security (in its various dimensions) and our spiritual dimension: the strength of our mind can help us reinforce our sense of security or, more precisely, to live better in times of insecurity. I have already mentioned this in relation to religious faith, which helps many impoverished people to live better lives, even to find joy. The same is true today in the West for people with deep faith, but also for non-believers who have developed their human potential or a form of secular spirituality. Those who cultivate their minds by reading philosophy or poetry, those who regularly practice yoga or meditation, those who engage in creative activities, those who develop love and compassion by participating in society, those who seek to give meaning to their existence are undoubtedly better equipped to navigate life's difficult periods. Indeed, they cultivate spiritual qualities that support the body and stabilize emotions (especially fear), improve the quality of emotional and social bonds, and strengthen confidence and a love of life. These are all precious qualities that, after a shock or profound destabilization like the one we have just experienced, foster the possibility of recovery, self-reflection, and the development of resilience.

(1) Antonio Damasio, Spinoza Was Right. Joy and Sadness. The Brain of Emotions , Paris, Odile Jacob, 2013, p. 40.