This year has been wild.
It’s barely been three months, and already we’ve seen a continent burning down, mourned the death of heroes, and endured a global viral outbreak. Events are being canceled all around the world: vacations, conferences, sports, worship services, amusement parks.
If you’re feeling that defeated “Should we just cancel 2020 entirely?” feeling, you’re not alone. I’m not above some of those emotions myself. Every morning is a prayer that the bottom won’t keep dropping. Every hour there’s a natural bracing for what's next?
My little sister’s getting married in a week. My wife Christy and I were supposed to host exchange students in April. I’m supposed to officiate a wedding in May. Now, it seems like everything is subject to change.
This is a difficult time for everyone. There’s no getting around it.
Yet as I'm following the news outlets and listening to the broader discussions in social media, I sense there are two battles going on.
One is the obvious. There's a real virus that's spreading and infecting and harming our health. It is rightfully concerning and worthy of our attention. Suffice it to say, we need to do our best to be cautious and safe.
The second battle to me, however, is much more insidious. It is the collective tendency towards fear, panic, ignorance, demonization, and self-preservation. As stated by Dr. Abdu Sharkawy in a Facebook post (which has since gone viral):
"I am not scared of Covid-19 [...] What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. […] But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, open-mindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested. […] The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and ‘fight for yourself above all else’ attitude could prove disastrous.”
While there is temptation to cave to an overwhelming gloom, I encourage us all to rise above and temper our instinctive fear with reason.
I think back to some of the more trying times in our world's history. From great wars and great famines/Depression, to unthinkable acts of terrorism and recent pandemics like West Nile, Zika, SARS...somehow, we survived. We got through it all. We did it, not by fending for ourselves and forsaking our neighbor, but by focusing on doing the right thing.
My college roommate Dave once told me, wisely—we can’t always help how we feel, but we can always help how we react to how we feel. Insofar as we have the mental faculties to make good decisions, let us exercise it. As we all have the ability to be kind and compassionate, may we extend it without judgment. Friends, this is what we can control. If we can commit to doing the right thing, and take it one day at a time, we’ll beat this.
There are countless sacrifices being made as we speak. Doctors and nurses working around the clock to keep us healthy. Leaders choosing people over profit. Athletes and actors donating money to workers whose wages are impacted. Nameless people standing in the streets to pass out face masks. Unsung heroes, many of them. This is the good that’s still out there—may we choose to see the beauty in the silver lining.
For a time, this will be the new normal and we'll have to adjust. It will take sacrifice, discomfort, and personal responsibility from all of us. But we’re in this together. We all have a role to play.
Let’s listen to the medical professionals and scientists out there. Let’s continue to be safe and smart. Keep those hands clean and keep that mind strong. And may we not allow fear and anxiety to rule our day.
I’ll sign off with these words again from Dr. Sharkawy, who says it best: "Let's meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing. Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts. Our children will thank us for it."
Lord willing, we’ll get through this.