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It goes without saying that we put up photos of the people we love and miss: The connection is so deep, deeper than the physical, and contact, so much deeper than on the plane of talk. It is in the fullness of spirit, the capillary system, the ether of breath and memories. It also goes without saying that we play our holy music -- hymns, kirtans, klezmer, Aretha -- or listen to a wind chime, breezes made visible.
不用說，我們會擺放所愛和所想念的人的照片：這種連結是如此深刻，比實體接觸還要深，甚至遠比語言能表達的程度更深。這種連結存在于被圣靈充滿時、毛細管系統以及呼吸和記憶的蒼穹中。也不用說，我們會放圣歌--贊美詩、梵唱、猶太克列茲莫音樂、艾瑞莎．弗蘭克林的歌--或者聽風鈴的聲音，那是看得見的微風。
Then -- drumroll -- we pick up the phone, or log on to Zoom, and by prearrangement, on Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, as Shabbat starts, or the solstice, we reach out. We say, "Hey, you!” As we used to bring our best selves to weddings and funerals, we bring them now to what we can still attend, by phone, or by walks in the neighborhood, masked, waving.
然后我們拿起電話或登入Zoom，在事先安排下于寬扎節、跨年夜、安息日或至日展開聯系。我們說出：“哈啰！”就像之前總把最好的自己呈現在婚禮和葬禮上，我們現在則透過打電話，或是戴著口罩在街坊散步時揮揮手，將自己最好的樣子呈現在仍能從事的活動中。
Whatever the realm, there can be a sense of direct transmission. Life has taken away some of the barbed wire of our emotional difficulties -- yay -- and we appreciate what is left. We make eye contact with each other, and this allows us to cry together; our eyes aligned: That is a lot of intimacy.
無論用什么方法，都能有直接交流的感覺。生活已經帶走我們情感中的一些尖刺，而我們會珍惜留下來的東西。我們與彼此眼神交流，這讓我們能夠一起哭泣；我們的眼神交融：這非常親密。
I have my body, where I live, the place of function, pleasure, pain, rest. I offer myself what I would offer a stranger: a hot bath, a plum, kind words.
我擁有我的身體，我住在里面，這里是生命運作、感到愉快、痛苦、能夠休息的地方。我為自己提供了會為陌生人準備的東西：熱水澡、水果、親切的話語。
The meaning of this pandemic is that we are all vulnerable and connected. We are in this together, spanning the globe, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, pagans, Christians, atheists. This is so much bigger than the virus, because love and caring are bigger than anything -- even, or especially, suffering.
這場疫情顯示出我們都很脆弱而且彼此相連。我們都身處其中，跨越全球，無論是佛教徒、猶太教徒、穆斯林、印度教徒、多神教徒、基督徒、無神論者。這遠比病毒重要，因為愛和關懷比任何東西都強大--甚至大過苦難。
Even when we are lonely, hollow, heartbroken, or angry, we can slip through these gaps into what we have always longed for: presence, not presents. And that will sustain us, let us rejoice and be fed, until we can be together again.
即使當我們感到孤單、空虛、心碎或生氣，我們仍可穿越這些空間，進入長久渴望的狀態：陪伴在彼此身邊。這將支持著我們，讓我們感到喜悅和滿足，直到我們能再次重聚。
