Unprecedented

 The country and perhaps even the world are in an unprecedented crisis – COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus. The latest origin story is that it came from bat soup served in China. That may or may not be true and it may be years before we all find out. What’s more urgent is what’s happening now. Italy has all but closed down and the United States may soon follow suit. In order to maintain “social distancing,” churches, schools (from pre-school to universities, professional sports, amusement parks (including Disneyland), bars, and restaurants have all closed or will close soon. People have been hoard-shopping, not for food, but for toilet paper, paper towels, and hand sanitizer. Things changed from concern to near panic in just the space of a few days, especially from Wednesday to Friday of this week.

            As stated above, the crisis is unprecedented. The closest comparisons are the Black Plague (1347-1351) which took the lives of up to 200 million people. The Spanish Flu (which actually started in a Kansas boot camp preparing recruits for World War I) killed up to 100 million people. As of this writing, the Coronavirus has taken the lives of 6000 people.. worldwide. So, at this point, in pure mathematical terms it is not that significant. What is significant is the panic and also, again this word, the unprecedented nature of this crisis. This is not to say the crisis is not real; it is.  But the fallout is creating more problems. The following have happened before in history, but not all at once and not like this:

·         Widespread hoarding despite no actual shortages

·         Truth and rumors together

·         Lack of (or refusal of) preparation on the part of the federal government, especially the White House

·         Quarantining of much of or entire countries

What can be done when there is no model of what has been done before? The following advice may be helpful in this situation and perhaps in all others:

·         Take care of yourself – eat well, drink water, get plenty of rest, and exercise. If you feel ill, call the appropriate agencies in case the worst is happening.

·         Take care of those you love. Limit contact, especially with the elderly and with large groups of people (that number changed from 250 down to 50 today).

·         Be extra kind to everyone. Everyone is scared even if we don’t want to admit it, some of the disease, some of losing work while the economy slows down, (my oldest child lost their job this week because of this), and some of an apocalyptic future that suddenly seems to be upon us now.

·         Guard your intake…and output…of information. As with all crises, a lot of rumors are floating around. I define a rumor as information that may or may not be true but should be treated as false until verified. For this reason, I do not share things I have heard unless they are verified or have happened. I am also careful about what I believe.

·         Focus on today. Today is all I have. Yes, it helps to prepare for possible disasters and have enough food, water, and cash ready, but when shouldn’t I do that?  What can I do to make today good?  What can I plan for today? Today is all I have. “Tomorrow will take care of itself.” Jesus

·         Look for or create good in a difficult situation. I have created goals for each day and for the next three weeks (as well as for the rest of the year – a practice I started months ago). Now I have been given more time to work towards achieving those goals.

In other words I have an opportunity to Get Started and Keep Going, one that is unprecedented.