Is COVID making us more loving? Or more hating? That question came to mind when I first wrote this in August 2020. But now, in January 2022, I must change the question to Why doesn’t the COVID pandemic make people more loving? It’s sad to do that. And I know that in some cases it does make people more loving. But I can’t help but wonder, why doesn’t it happen to a much larger extent?
At that time in 2020, I had a half-hour inside an MRI tube with nothing to do, and this is where my mind went. At first, I was thinking about the folks working so I can get my MRI to see how my cancer was doing. They risk getting sick, and even maybe dying, to take care of us. And most people would say they appreciate that.
Now, in 2022, I just went back into active surveillance for the cancer. And sadly, the topic is still relevant. Maybe even more sadly, and probably because of the extent of the lack of caring, my question has now changed.
The original version started like this:
So COVID makes us more loving, right? But does it really? If we truly loved and cared about our medical workers, first responders, and even the admin people in hospitals and care centers, then we’d act differently. We’d wear a mask in public. We’d avoid large gatherings. Why? Because those things lead to fewer people being sick. And that, in turn, leads to fewer people requiring medical care. Obviously, or at least it should be obvious, all of those things lead to fewer medical people being exposed to COVID, getting sick, and possibly dying.
And then the original asked the question, in that light, is COVID making you more loving?
Is COVID making us more loving?
In the MRI tube, I was thinking about other essential workers that maybe we don’t care about so much, although I can’t understand why not. People like farmworkers. If not for them, we’d all be starving. Well, except maybe for the doomsday preppers who have tons of dried and canned food stored up. Yum yum. NOT!
But even as I write this, I know why some (many?) don’t care so much about them. They aren’t white. Many are migrant workers. Some number of them aren’t here legally. And too many Americans are taught by their political party and its leaders that non-white non-citizens don’t matter. That they should be jailed and deported. Even that they don’t deserve medical care or any kind of assistance. Even though they are responsible for the very food that keeps us alive!
Is COVID making us more hating?
Again, is COVID making you more loving? Or is it actually making you more hating?
Aren’t those people I just mentioned essential? If you don’t think so, try eating only food that wasn’t processed by them, if you can even find it. Or just don’t eat for a week. Then see if they’re essential. See if you think they’re worth having here.
And what about those, who don’t really need to be mentioned, who keep calling this the “China virus”? Sorry, but that’s meant in a very racist way. Yes, it started in China. However, it first came to the U.S. by way of Europe. That’s seldom mentioned. I guess there’s too many people of European descent here to try and generate a “blame them” kind of hate, a la Adolf Hitler.
Although, having said that, there’s still no real answer to the question of where it started. Or how. I know there’s a whole bunch of people that don’t agree with that assessment. But the reality is that the proverbial smoking gun has never been found. And even the variants that have come about leave questions as to where they actually started, as opposed to where they were first found.
Why doesn’t the COVID pandemic make people more loving?
Tell me, when things like all we just looked at happen, does COVID make us more loving? Or is someone willing to admit it makes us more hating? Or is my new question ready to be acknowledged as the correct one to ask? Why doesn’t the COVID pandemic make people more loving?
Those who seem to be “converted” to being more loving appear to be the people who are directly affected by COVID deaths, long-term COVID effects, lost jobs, and the journey to homelessness. But even then, some of the die-hard anti-vax anti-mask anti-whatever people are still unaffected even when loved ones and friends get sick and/or die. It’s beyond belief to me.
As I’m writing this, I’m watching/listening to a report on people with long-COVID. How is it that this doesn’t make people care more about each other? For the Christians reading this, why doesn’t it make us more loving towards each other?
Love your enemy, unless you have a good reason not to?
So let’s focus on the Christian view of this. Jesus never said anything like Love your enemy, unless you have a good reason not to. When Jesus told us to love our enemies, did He have any exclusions? Like, did He ever say it was OK to hate someone if we had a good reason? Let’s take a look.
Love for Enemies – Matthew
Mt 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Gee – it doesn’t look like it. It’s not OK to hate people who aren’t the same color as us, or who don’t have as good a job as us, or happen to be here looking for a better opportunity in life. And it’s not OK to hate someone, even if something like COVID happens to come from the country they, or their ancestors, came from.
And by the way, it’s also not OK to hate people we don’t know. As in people we think aren’t our neighbors. You do remember how that went over when someone asked Jesus who his neighbor was, don’t you?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
10:25-28 pp — Mt 22:34-40; Mk 12:28-31
Lk 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Lk 10:26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
Lk 10:27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’”
Lk 10:28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Lk 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Lk 10:30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Lk 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
Lk 10:37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
If you’re Christian, do you really want to explain to Jesus how you didn’t think the immigrant farmers who harvested, processed, or otherwise worked on the food you ate was someone you needed to be concerned about? I don’t want to have to do that.
If you’re not Christian, and you think everyone’s going to Heaven no matter what, sorry. You just haven’t read God’s word. Or you don’t believe God. I’ve known people who say things like they hope God has a good sense of humor. From what we read in the Bible, God does indeed have a sense of humor. But not when it comes to denying His own Word.
But getting back to the issue of essential workers not being our neighbors, people we should care about, think about this. It’s just plain weird to hate the people who bring us food. It’s misplaced anger when we’re mad at an entire race for something none of them as individuals were responsible for. Further, it’s thoughtless and quite uncaring to let those other biases lead to sickness and death for people we claim to care about!
Conclusion – Why doesn’t the COVID pandemic make people more loving?
Jesus concluded His statement on loving our enemies with:
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Being perfect isn’t easy. In fact, in this life, it’s impossible.
And yet, as Christians, we’re called to do our best to get as close to that goal as possible. Not through our own strength, but through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.
We are not supposed to try to use the cover of Christianity to hate others. We are supposed to use the power that comes from God when we become Christians to do as Jesus did. To love everyone. Jesus even forgave the very people who crucified Him. Would we do that? We should.
I could add so many more examples of how we’re becoming less loving and more hating.
COVID is certainly making me think about how I live my life. Whether or not the things I do really back up what I claim to believe.
So what about you?
Is COVID making you more loving? Or more hating?
And if it isn’t making you, or your friends and loved ones, or even just people you know more loving, I pray you will ask yourself:
Why doesn’t the COVID pandemic make people more loving? Why isn’t it making you more loving?
Image by Miguel Santiago from Pixabay