On The Global Pandemic

It has taken some time to work through my feelings and thoughts about this pandemic that is upon us. I have spent the last few weeks listening to concerns, stories, fears, and hopes among family members as I am sure have many others. We have made peace with our adjustments and I have now been able to find the time and spiritual space to write down my thoughts.

“A plague is always a moral as well as biological crisis for a community. It allows no individuals; it makes all people a community and emphasizes human relationships.” a New York City doctor remarked of the 1916 polio epidemic; “We have learned very little that is new about the disease, but much that is old about ourselves.” - Paula R. Backscheider (1992)

I am thinking of all of us (in our personal, local, and global communities) during this time. I, as all in my family, have been taking this situation seriously, and while I am grateful that few in my personal life to this point have been showing symptoms of this virus, we have still been keeping our physical distance from others while maintaining our social connections.

I am grateful for many things: my family and the love we have for one another; the education and intelligence that has helped us maneuver through this time with maturity and social responsibility; but most importantly, all of the people in our world who seem to have an unlimited amount of compassion and empathy for humanity and are doing their part to lessen the suffering we all face.

With tremendous gratitude, I thank each and every one of us for caring about each other. For now, I hope we stay physically distanced but empathetically close.