As the COVID-19 global pandemic has been progressing in the United States, more and more precautions have been advised. This time of chaos and isolation has been overwhelming to some degree for every person. No one has been unaffected during these times, not even the seemingly untouchable 1% of the U.S. population with extreme wealth.
While everyone has been affected one way or another, not everything happening right now is negative.
People may be stressed about the virus, but I’ve noticed how many people are actually becoming more communal in this time of isolation.
Many are going out of their way to talk to friends and family members that they may have not had the time to talk to before the shutdown.
Not only that, but the time spent with others, digitally or physically, seems to be generally of greater quality. I think this is because there are no longer endless overarching stressors like needing to get to a meeting or needing to get various tasks done. There’s nowhere to go, so it’s easier to just relax and enjoy life.
God created humankind to be communal, so it’s no surprise that even in a time of global crisis, everyone is still finding a way to communicate.
This spans beyond family and friends into local communities and religious communities as well. Grocery stores, hospitals, gas stations and other essential businesses are doing a fantastic job in handling this the best they can. Churches are livestreaming and recording services and even distributing palms for Palm Sunday at various times. Gannon, for example, is livestreaming Mass 8 p.m. every Sunday on the Gannon Campus Ministry Facebook page.
When I’ve been out to get essentials, I’ve seen many places with tape for checkout lines to help visually aid others in staying six feet apart from one another. I’ve also seen and heard of things like glass up at cash registers to protect employees, people spending their time sewing masks to donate to places in need of PPE and people donating their time and cars to deliver meals to those who are at higher risk of catching the virus so they can stay home.
In a time of sadness and uncertainty, it’s really relieving to stop and realize that not all that is happening is bad. People seem to be more helpful and giving during this time. It’s a real “I have faith in humanity” type of feeling to see how far others are willing to go to help those in need during chaos.
If time is of abundance, I highly recommend seeing how you can help your local community.
Love and serve others as the Lord always calls us to do, especially in this time of great need, and I guarantee it will add some positivity to this madness.
ADRIANA LASKY
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