Food for thought: In the Bible, prior to the great flood it says that all mankind had become corrupt. God tells Noah that he’s going to send a flood to destroy men because the earth is “filled with violence”. (Gen 6:13). After the flood, God promised he would never destroy all men by a flood again. He also said that as long as the earth remains there would be seedtime and harvest (what you sow you will reap) as well as cycles of nature. (Gen 8:21-22)
So, is it possible that the current pandemic is a result of the overwhelming violence in the world today, and all of the corruption is keeping us from doing what is necessary to end it? Our world has been racked with violence and malice. Racial conflicts in this country has boiled over because of deadly violence against unarmed black people by law enforcement. Protestors often referred to the history of racism backed by lynching. Some protests turned violent. Some people seemed to argue that violence against black people was justified by the shameful existence of black on black crime. Still others seek to build on the history of racial violence in this country by promising a race war – counter protesting while brandishing assault weapons. And before we started hoarding toilet paper and Clorox wipes, many people were hoarding weapons and ammunition.
So here comes a coronavirus. COVID 19 is a worse version of a naturally occurring virus. These viruses run in cycles. The best way to minimize the spread of the virus is to distance ourselves from one another and wear a face mask when we are around others. But so many people have such little regard for other people that they refuse to social distance or wear a mask. And the politicians find it difficult to work together to provide the leadership required to develop an effective strategy to keep people safe. So the corruption of mankind is allowing the most vulnerable in the population to suffer and die.
Perhaps God doesn’t have to send a flood. Perhaps mankind’s corruption and disregard for one another is the seed that produces a harvest of death.
And maybe the only way to break this cycle is to model the Gospel of Jesus Christ – love others enough to sacrifice for them. (John 3:16). Immediately, that means we can sacrifice our desire to go where we want, unmasked. And once we come out of this crisis, we should consider that self-less love is the only way to avoid the next one.
The ELL Word 