“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ~ Mother Teresa
With summer slowly beginning to wind down, the world is in a very strange place at the moment. Just when we thought it was safe to throw away our masks and resume our lives, Covid-19 is sweeping the globe and leaving people wondering if this pandemic is permanent. There’s been a rise in all sorts of catastrophes: a highly contagious Delta Variant amongst vaccinated and unvaccinated, mask mandates, hospitals at capacity, travel and trade disrupted, stock markets on wild swings. It got me wondering, where as a society are we headed?
There is plenty of bad news and fear to fuel our anxieties in the acute phase of this pandemic. Covid has transformed so many of our lives. The question is whether Covid is here to stay, whether the unpredictable flare-ups will become a new norm, whether future variants could be more infectious and more deadly...
I certainly feel the pull between facing my own obstacles and pushing through the uncomfortable, especially on the days where I feel like giving up. These past few weeks of fighting against Covid opened up the door for a lot of fear and what-ifs: Am I gonna have to go to the hospital? Am I going to have to get incubated? Even just the positive test result sent me into a spiral. So what do we do in these moments of raw fear? As we come to terms with this new world, are we the sole masters of our destinies? What can we do effectively as a society to limit this fear? After all, this is not the first time our country has faced a pandemic, a war or economic hardship.
We need to be more intentional and guarded about what and WHO we’re listening to -- are you listening and spreading a divisive message or one of hope and unity? We also need to start realizing the power that comes with releasing control to someone higher than ourselves. That looks like spending less time spreading a message of fear and more time praying and increasing our faith.
Every day is a gift, an opportunity to do something new, and a chance to change the way we understand one another. We have an opportunity for transformation, sharing vulnerably our stories and fears and over-comings. We don’t have to be celebrities, musicians, or politicians with big platforms to tell our stories and experiences. We can use our tiny audience and simple presence to free and empower others. When we share our trials to help those around us, we give the world something more powerful than fear: HOPE.
And hope is what’ll last far longer than any pandemic.
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