As I sit in the midst of the Corona Virus quarantine, I look at my backyard that is brown and overgrown from the cold of winter. Yet, as gloomy as this looks I find great inner peace and a calming sense of satisfaction. I was talking with a friend earlier today, and we discussed what we were to do, think, and feel during this time. We both agreed that it is a wake-up call that we return to the basics of life. It is a time when we need to slow down, recommit, connect with old and neglected friends, see Him, and pray. We need to be concerned about people, not about the “bottom line” or the profits from price gouging and the hoarding of materials such as toilet tissue and water. Perhaps our world has become numb to the human condition, and this may be the time to take a pulse of our compassion meter.
We have forgotten about people because we have the technology to replace reading, playing outdoors, creating fun, and family dinner time. Our cell phones allow us to entertain ourselves without having to interact with one another. Gaming units have overtaken our ability to concentrate and think creatively or analytically. Our attention spans are shorter and less effective. The cases of ADD and ADHD have risen, and verbal and written expression has become a diminished art. The fast pace of life has slowly crept into our world that we no longer recognize that we are like hamsters on a never-ending wheel. We are constantly on the go to the job, to a game, to a recital, to a performance, or to some other function that beckons for our attention.
We no longer have neighborhoods where our children ride around the cul-de-sac on their bicycles. We no longer have Saturday activity of yard work while children are running around squealing with delight. We no longer sit on our front porches after dinner while conversing with our neighbors who are also sitting on their front porches. We no longer welcome new families into the community with a plate of cookies, a plant, or a dinner. We no longer read to our children; we give them a device to entertain themselves. We don’t invest in real conversation around the dinner table, and we don’t teach the importance of being a productive citizen to everyone. Instead, we become consumed with ourselves, our jobs, our income, and extra interests that bring us joy because in the grand scheme of life we are the number one priority. At the end of it all, we return home in time to go to bed and start the routine all over again.
Through this pandemic and quarantine, I find myself reflecting on life, relationships, and spirituality. I woke up realizing that I was rested and thinking with clarity. As I take the time to talk with many friends, our common question have been, why does this quarantine have us all in panic mode? FEAR! I am reminded of 2 Timothy 1:7 New King James Version (NKJV): For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Regardless of whether we have a false sense of exemption or whether we are afraid, the one essential that we are missing is “community.” This pandemic is not a time when we live in the shadows of our fear. It is not the time when we forget that we need people. It is the time to remember the greatest commandment of all which is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Isn’t that how we form a community? Now is the time to come together to show what real humanitarianism looks like in the face of a pandemic. It is the call to rise up, extend an encouraging word or hand to a neighbor (even a stranger), and to remember that survival requires being in it and getting through it together.
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Coffee Reflections 