More than a year had passed since my last blog.
Lots of things have changed; the need to come back to the blog became less and less of a need.
Lots of things have remained the same. As of today, or this month, this quarter, lots of things become the same for a number of us, that is, the lockdown in relation to the outbreak of an infectious disease yet defined, referred as Covid-19.
It’s more than a number of us. Let’s come back to that further down.
The fragility of life, in all its insurmountable proportion. That is before the world-wide outbreak. We can’t get close to or touch, hug our loved ones.
The fullness of life, its uncertainties compounded by the outbreak. We connect much more with our loved ones; probably more than our clients and fans, hitherto a source of income, “survival”.
The scale of death is of an untold proportion. It is insensitive to compare tragedy of death in numbers, let alone with previous kinds of outbreak. Politics, or war, won or lost. It is utterly cruel to wrap up a person’s soul as a function of some “movement”. A person is a person, their being cannot be something that has no other ways of expression except a political movement, or some other campaigns.
Easy to comment on those who do not 247 follow lockdown rules. We are deceiving ourselves when we don’t follow such laws even nobody was there to see us.
Much more we have to deal with, even though we are probably only operating within a 100m2 , or a 5m2 studio, with a journey out to the grocery store once in 3 or 4 days.
- We learn to cook, or do more cooking. Actually, our meals. Maybe we finish eating them. Wash up. All of them too.
- We learn to cope with doing laundry in the same square metre.
Personal space takes different shape. The world could view your front door, bed side table along with your bed, the wall colours that speak of your passion, or that of your landlord. The way you insistently speak to the side of the laptop.
Indeed, you reach more people this way. Still, it might be far fewer people we meet than previously; and we have more control over who we meet. It’s time we update likes.
In some cruel ways, the number of people we “connect” (note new terminology) with is becoming more an more to do with technology. Facebook is no longer a thing you do because you are a fan of some rock bands; or you are one of those families that live “online”. Youtube is no longer something where you “promote” yourself, you go to see a performance. Instagram, telegram, twitter, yeah, the young people use these too. Or social or political activists, or such other activists. Past tense to all that. Whatever means, if it “connects” with friends and loved ones, or new ones of such. We want to make it work.
Endless is the people we can connect, quicker, far away. Distance is no longer an issue. Despite time zone differences, we want to connect. There is a sense of defiance, come what may, sick or fit, hungry or restless, we want to connect.
- No longer do we need to say let me finish at the office.
- Or after I have done my laundry.
- The people we want to connect are always at their place, in the same way we are.
- Perhaps first time in human history, highly mobile, we don’t need to ask where are you?
Countries are losing a lot of their people. As a humanity, this journey is painful.
I can’t help but recall the account of the flood, and yes, as you sit up and point it out to me, God promised he won’t do that again. There is a sense that only very few, perhaps one extended family and their Ark, survived after that flood. There are few, very few, points of similarities. But there is a sense of an uncontrollable pace of change.
‘Uncontrollable’ only in the sense humans cannot control it the way we want it (think of how different countries muscle up between themselves on numbers of deaths, control and distribution of life-saving equipment etc.).
Change. I think this is an unknown entity or entities.
- Will people become more defiant – physically, medically, behaviourally – because they think they have been immune to the most deadly virus?
- Will people become less reliant on God and need of restoration of fellowship with him?
This change is coming to pockets of very large numbers in different parts of the world. Might be in different forms. But to some extent we are walking the same steps.
Who are the ones with prophetic eyes and heartbeat that is of God? Doom and damnation might be the message, but our Saviour came to save. He warned, and he did have very strong words, and actions, against those acting in utter ignorance of the law (will, plan) and love of God. He also defined love. He also acted out love. He went as far as dying for all humanity, in order to obey God’s will for the world, that his resurrection brought about hope for us to restore to God.