Hurricane Katrina, HIV/AIDS, Hurricane Sandy, Haitian earthquake, 9/11, Sandy Hook, and so many other tragedies, have had religious leaders calling them God’s wrath for a multitude of sins by certain citizens of the countries affected. Now add Coronavirus COVID-19 to this list of tragedies as an act of God’s wrath.
With Coronavirus now on the list, my mind went off on a transcendental free-flow of thoughts about God and his actions towards us.
What if these religious leaders are right? What if, bear with me on this journey, God is punishing us for our sins. But, what if the religious leaders have it all wrong in that it isn’t punishment for gay marriage, abortion, women’s rights, transgendered people, or the many other claims made. What if the punishment, especially for the U.S. since we are now the hardest hit country on earth, is because of what we haven’t done?
Yes, not for what we have done, but for what we haven’t done.
Perhaps the punishment is because we seem to have lost the ability to think of others. We live in a very egocentric society in which many believe it is not about us, but about me. What can I get for myself regardless of who it harms along my journey to acquire as much stuff and wealth as I can.
Maybe it is because we have so many selfish billionaires. So many use their wealth not to better humankind, but to hold humankind down. Recent examples are Amazon and one of its holdings, Whole Foods, where it asked employees essentially to share their sick time with others rather than Amazon just giving employees who get sick time off with pay. Or, Hobby Lobby employees being told they must come to work because the owner’s wife received a direct message from God to hold fast.
Could it be because our health care system is profit-based, not needs-based. Where one can be turned away from receiving preventive or routine care due to a lack of insurance? Where rather than help a 17-year-old sick with Coronavirus, the teen is sent to another health care facility and dies en route? Where insurance, health care, and medications are so expensive, many who need it, can’t afford it!
Possibly it is because our public schools are severely underfunded for our poorest of students. We have schools literally crumbling around students as they are supposed to be learning. Cafeterias who, due to policies from above, give a child a lesser lunch because their families can’t keep up with the high cost of the lunch, but don’t qualify for Free or Reduced Price Lunch. Schools with outdated textbooks, not enough textbooks, not enough supplies, lagging in technology and bandwidth, or enough nurses/social workers/counselors/psychologists to meet the needs of students.
Perchance it is because we are ignoring climate change at the top levels of government. By denying climate change, elected officials place not just U.S. citizens in danger, but the world in danger. Even with the writing on the wall—hottest years on record, weather patterns out of whack, ever larger storms and hurricanes, polar vortexes—politicians still are ignoring what so many of us already know, climate change is real.
Again, what if the religious leaders are right and we are being punished? Interesting they never stop to think maybe those they target to blame is misplaced. Perhaps they—religious leaders, politicians, billionaires—should take a moment to reflect if their own actions may have brought all of this upon us.
Perhaps we all should take a moment to reflect on our actions, or our in-actions, that helped us get to where we are personally, as a society, and as members of the human race.
Just some transcendental free-flow of thoughts for the day.
What are your thoughts?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 