COMPASSION AND COURAGE ON DISPLAY DURING PANDEMIC
Years ago, I attended an ecumenical seminar where we discussed great civilizations. The great civilizations of history — the Greek and Roman Empires, England, France and Spain — all thrived with a commitment to the rule of law and a strong religious community. But great civilizations also resemble a bell curve — they rise, peak and then decline. They should never be taken for granted.
Our beloved country is being tested as never before on too many fronts, one of which is the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 has tested our belief in science even as we witness the miracles wrought by scientific research, something we should especially appreciate in San Diego. It has certainly tested our willingness to follow rules — sciencebased rules being created for a novel virus, itself evolving and causing the rules to adapt, creating uncertainty when scared people want perfect answers.
Most religions have many things in common: some version of the Golden Rule, a commitment to the truth, generosity, forgiveness, do no harm to others. My faith celebrates the birth of a savior who would transform the world. Although a majority of Americans identify as Christians today, nearly three in 10 U.S. adults identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” and too many of those who identify as Christian are not actively involved in a religious community, which I believe is a worrying sign.
Both play out in overcoming COVID-19. At the highest levels of our government, COVID-19 was denied and then politicized.
Even the simple wearing of masks — a generous act to others who may be vulnerable — is an issue. People have refused to be vaccinated even as the data says vaccines are a modern-day miracle, and then they protest the needed mandates.
My Dad always taught me to walk a mile in another’s shoes. My optimism in this season of hope lies in the many acts of generosity, compassion and courage by our fellow citizens.
Nurses, doctors, emergency medical technicians, firefighters and others on the front lines put themselves at risk in the frightening early days of the pandemic and keep showing up today even as they are burned out from long hours, exposure risk and now the pandemic of the unvaccinated.
Public-health leaders — in the medical community and in government — created and encouraged compliance with sound publichealth guidelines even as they were personally threatened.
Many citizens exhibited so many acts of kindness to others. On Nextdoor, the virtual neighborhood, people donated groceries or ran errands for the vulnerable. Restaurants, hotels and retailers provided meals and services to first responders and the homeless even as their businesses struggled and sometimes failed due to the pandemic.
Very often the least advantaged among us were the most generous. The most challenged were the most caring.
I believe we get beyond COVID-19 when all of us care about others enough to be vaccinated — two, three, four shots, whatever it takes — until the spread of COVID-19 and threat of new mutations is minimized.
We’ll overcome the pandemic when we follow common-sense public health guidelines even as they change and adapt with new knowledge.
We can beat COVID-19’s devastating impact on our health-care systems and on our economy when we recognize that the unseen virus and not our fellow man is the enemy.
And we can insist that our elected leaders do the same.
2022 can be a much better year than 2020 and 2021. It depends on all of us respecting the rule of law and practicing the timeless tenets of religious faith if not faith itself. And by making our New Year’s resolution a commitment to walk a mile in another’s shoes.
My optimism in this season of hope lies in the many acts of generosity by our fellow citizens. The least advantaged were often the most generous.