Join day of thanks for our leaders
Our government has been prepared to take very hard decisions, says Richard Condie
THE Roman philosopher Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
Expressing gratitude by saying “thank you” to others is powerful because it gives honour to people for what they do and encourages them to continue.
Perhaps a bright spot in the dark COVID-19 experience could be to express our gratitude to our parliamentarians (of all colours) and their advisers, our state controller, our healthcare professionals and others on the front line of our coronavirus response.
Their leadership has been courageous and strong, as they have taken costly decisions to protect the life and wellbeing of Tasmanians during this pandemic.
Make no mistake, our government continues to be faced with a very difficult predicament, having to balance economic demands with the need to protect people’s lives. We recognise the hard decisions that it has made.
We have seen the pain etched on the face of the Premier and Health Minister as they have announced each of the 13 unfortunate deaths from the virus, and we join them in feeling deeply for their family and friends.
We are very thankful that we have a government that doesn’t trivialise or deny the impact of coronavirus, as we have seen in other parts of the world. We are grateful that the response has not been plagued by bipartisan bickering, so common on other issues.
Instead, our government has been prepared to take very hard and costly decisions, protecting the sanctity of life, especially the lives of vulnerable Tasmanians.
The sanctity of human life is a key principle of our culture. It is precious and worth protecting. Our parliament continues to demonstrate this principle in action in its unified approach to closing our borders and protecting us by its safety measures.
We will continue to bear the economic cost of these decisions for years to come, but we do so gratefully for the lives it has saved.
And so we want to say “thank you” to our parliamentarians. “We are grateful for your courage and wisdom.”
Churches across Tasmania will pause tomorrow to publicly thank our political leaders, to let them know we have been praying for them, and to give thanks to God for their leadership over us.
Whether you are a person of faith or not, this is an opportunity for us all to express our thankfulness for the way our leaders have done the right thing.
We are so grateful that at the start of the pandemic our Premier called on Christians to pray. For our part we will continue to pray for our leaders — for wisdom, for courage, and for good priorities, to balance sound economic decisions with protecting the lives of all Tasmanians. And we encourage you all to do the same. We are grateful and say “thank you” to our healthcare workers and people on the front line, who put their lives at risk to protect the lives of others.
Could Sunday be a day of thanks across our state? Could you write to your local member of parliament to express your thanks and gratitude for their leadership during this pandemic? We invite you to join us in church, online or just from your home in giving thanks for our Premier and all members of parliament, for our healthcare and frontline workers. Your life, your health and your safety are in their hands.
CHURCHES ACROSS TASMANIA WILL PAUSE TOMORROW TO THANK OUR POLITICAL LEADERS ... WHETHER YOU ARE A PERSON OF FAITH OR NOT, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS OUR THANKFULNESS