Ran Dong
- May 12, 2020
- 2 min read

Inside-searching: A hidden Paris during lockdown

2020, the year that the only certainty is uncertainty. From January to May, besides experiencing worrisome and tension from the news, realizing the proper way to deal with the stress is on top agenda: the way to explore inner peace, self-development, and balanced life and mind.

Heavy crowded traffic, millions of thoughts to get promoted, trendy style for seasonal clothes, vacation plans on the other side of the world, parties with friends after work...These are supposed to be so "normal" for daily life, we won't even have a minute to perceive them. Before the pandemic, nobody would believe if they were told all of these would have gone all of a sudden. And one day, essential needs are the only focus of our life. But, is it really a bad thing? Everything has two sides - even when the doors are closed and the chaos is spreading over the internet. Take care of one's mind, is equally taking care of one's body.

There are some hints in ancient cultures. Spiral - a symbol of wholeness, exists in multiple aspects across the globe (Amazighs culture, ancient Egypt, ancient China, Native America...), nature (nautilus shell, DNA), and science (Fibonacci Spiral), etc. A spiral is an infinite circle towards the outside and it is also infinite towards inside. When outside are shut down, just let them be. It's time to go within.

I remembered the similar mindset that I had experienced during the Vipassana meditation course in Nepal in 2018. Silence is mandatory. Close the senses, focus on breath, and then experience every tiny sensation throughout the body without judgment. Nothing is permanent: wisdom that has been inherited for 2500 years. Purify senses, acquire knowledge, then ask, what is actually happening underneath the surface?

Luckily enough, with the empty streets and closed doors, all the hidden beauty is finally revealed in this shutdown world - the cohesion, beauty, and truth about humanity. I walked into the center of Paris as if I were walking in an outdoor museum.

我有一個名字，但不相干。（I have a name, but it's irrelevant.) Love, Peace, Unity. Tu es Belle.

Pense à quoi?

Those witty street arts emerge under spring sunshine during the pandemic lockdown. What an unexpected way to be connected with these powerful minds and the spirit of la Ville-Lumière throughout emptiness! It is priceless.