Coal Country, Asteya, and Corona

Coal Country- A play (documentary theatre) about the explosion fueled by methane and coal dust in the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia on April 5, 2010. The explosion was the deadliest U.S. mining disaster in nearly 50 years. The play was written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen with music as enhancement/expansion from singer/songwriter Steve Earle.

Asteya- Non-stealing. A yogic observance (Yama) that speaks to looking outward for satisfaction, by unknowingly taking from the earth, ourselves, and others. This hinders us from the opportunity to grow ourselves into a person we want to be.

Coronavirus- Any of the family (coronaviridae) of single-stranded RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped projections that can infect birds and many mammals including humans and include the causative agents of MERS, SARS, COVID-19.

One might wonder how these 3 topics tie together. Simply put-through the vein of our current scarcity mentality in humanity. In detail…..I was fortunate I went to New York in February for business and pleasure. The pleasure was New York, itself, and the opportunity to experience my first production in the Big Apple at The Public Theater-Coal Country. Anyone who has made my acquaintance knows Steve Earle was the pull to that production. Rarely does Mr. Earle put his time, or name, behind something that doesn’t warrant a person walking away from it wiser, kinder, or more alive. Coal Country catered to all 3 of those expectations and more. At a time where it has been becoming more apparent that our country is divided, statistically highly depressed, and harmfully over-consuming convenience goods-Coal Country etched in my memory, and mind, the importance to have our story heard, to be treated as if we are humans, and to have the ability to put personal boundaries in place.

I have to give a little background on Coal Country to help you understand how this call to action was ignited.

When the Upper Big Branch Explosion happened, it made headlines for about a week. Predictably, once the urgency and horrific details settled, the news found new headlines. That is the nature of that beast. As many of us know, the initial hit of anything that tragically happens is just the camera flash. There is always the picture, the image, left behind to remember for better or worse. Blank and Jensen knew when they learned about this crime that is was a story to be told due to its layers and many implications. They also knew that to deepen the connection/understanding of audience and story, partnering with Steve Earle and his singing/songwriting was essential. Blank, Jensen, and Earle worked on Coal Country for 3-4 years. Together, they traveled to West Virginia to meet with people who were willing to bring this experience back up and talk about it. The interviews lasted hours-each one. The time spent in West Virginia-weeks. It wasn’t just about the details of the explosion. The need to understand the Appalachian region, coal mining, unions, and these people as individual humans and collective families was essential.

The Coronavirus started as a stone but has quickly grown to a boulder. This headline is going to stay longer than a week. Why? Because the Coronavirus effects every one-directly and immediately. The flash of that camera happened brightly. Now we are left with the picture, the image. Understanding the origin, the pattern, the activity of the virus is essential to its story, much like the Upper Big Branch explosion. I don’t feel the need to go into great detail on the Coronavirus due to almost everyone having read and listened to hours of content. The story of how this world has been stopped in its tracks, derailed, and forced to look at the engine driving a majority of the people on this planet is basis for thousands of creative works. Scarcity mentality, fear, not having the self-belief to set personal boundaries and follow our intuition are that engine. We are fortunate, currently, to have agencies in place forcing us to set the boundaries, to know the facts, and to help us find a way to set up a defense against what science is telling us about the Coronavirus outbreak. This stands to prevent the tragedy that ignoring intuition and signs heralded in West Virginia.

The analogous correlation of the aforementioned may already be leading you to sense the role of non-stealing (Asteya). The tenet, concept, observance of non-stealing will never NOT warrant reference. Attending Coal Country caused the word, Asteya, to echo in my mind. Don Blankenship (The person in charge of the Upper Big Branch coal mine) was “charged” with conspiracy to violate federal mine safety laws at the Upper Big Branch coal mine. What that ruling didn’t, and couldn’t, address was what was stolen from the victims and their families, from the earth, from the future, and from Don Blankenship himself. His need to feed an engine of theft came from somewhere, possibly a lack of faith in himself to be able to create what he needed within. He hoarded money, created fear, dehumanized the people in the mine and their families, and probably was scared of failing in business and society. This all fueled the wall of silence that kept those men in the knowledge that any dusting of subordination would release them from a job, their livelihood.

Does any of this ring a bell? Strike a chord? Before the Coronavirus outbreak, it was common to be shamed for calling in sick to work, for taking a vacation, for declining from a social event, or not wearing your many tasks on your sleeve like a badge. It is hard to not think the comparing we do, without knowing, through social media has something to do with this feeling of not being enough or being justified in having boundaries…Now, in the midst of Corona, we have transitioned to more hoarding, hostility, and fear. Whether it was 2010 or the present day, stealing has been an accepted effect, a pattern, a go to that never produces the long term results we crave.

So. We have options. We have true voices, beautiful leaders, clear plans available to us. Our internet and free time can be filled with routes to satisfaction vs temporary gratification. We can set our standards higher. To live by high standards requires constant diligence and awareness. We need to be vulnerable, set boundaries, and move from a place of abundance. How does a people in motion that are mad about being told to halt even start to approach this concept? It is simple and complex-be brave. Become still. For a lot of us it IS brave to be still, to sit with our thoughts and ourselves, and to stop the steady stream of validation that our phones and social media provide. Start small. Let those around you know you are going to be busy for 3-5 minutes. Set the phone down. Go to another room, and gently close the door behind you. Sit. Close your eyes and breathe in-slow and deep. Notice the pause before the exhale. Let the breath release with relief. Do it again. Notice what your body feels. Hear what is bouncing around in your mind. Breathe in…Breathe out..Notice the want to check your phone. Ignore the urge to itch your nose. Breathe in..Breathe out..Simply hear the dog barking. One more breath in. One more breath out. Open your eyes. Breathe in..Breathe out..You made it. Try this daily. It will become more familiar, less scary, longer in time, a daily requirement. Give yourself this right to “unplug”. In becoming comfortable with yourself, with stillness-your mind and heart will slowly start to sift the garbage from the gold. These snapshots of clarity and stillness will create space for the want to move from abundance and vulnerability to be heard within.

In the days to come, drop off a care package to someone who might need it if your area allows. Call someone and engage, not simply check-in. Try not to interrupt someone the next time you are in conversation-let them share their entire story. Say you are sorry and mean it. In moving from abundance, we move outside of our fear of scarcity. In being vulnerable, we can begin to rewrite our story, to fill our “well” with truth regardless of how uncomfortable it may be at first. Every moment offers the chance for genuine and simple satisfaction.

Blank, Jensen, and Earle practiced abundance and vulnerability in giving of their time, talents, and money not knowing how their presence in Montcoal, West Virginia, would be received. The end result-giving a bigger voice to what was stolen in that tragedy. Another, possibly deeper, chance at healing was created for those forever changed by the Upper Big Branch explosion.

In letting this shut-down of our nation be an opportunity to slow down, the story of our country has a chance to start a new chapter-one of moving towards integrity, kindness, and connection. We can again feel the courtesy of a door being opened for us, full attention from a friend, time spent with a loved one away from the phone and the clock, and the whisper of feeling like we are enough. Choose to expect the best in yourself and others. In the stillness, you will begin to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated topics. All life is connected. The Coronavirus is a demanding teacher. Be still. Stop the habit of stealing from yourself, your fellow human, this magical earth, and the future.

Blessings.