We are in the throes of a worldwide crisis, but have you noticed that the Covid-19 virus pandemic is, in many ways, bringing out the best in people?
Neighbors are helping each other, watching out for the infirm and elderly in their communities. People are volunteering, giving blood, delivering food to shut-ins and making sure that the school kids are taken care of. We hear story after story about humanitarian actions by individuals, organizations and companies. Even the political parties and the governments of the world are trying to work together and getting along better.
Like many people I have been asking myself, “How can we keep this going when the coronavirus is gone?” Let’s face it! The people of the world desperately need the kind of compassion that we’re seeing now to fight the common problems of poverty, hunger, prejudice, climate change, war and nuclear proliferation, if we are going to leave a livable world for our children and grandchildren.
“We’re all in this together,” is a phrase I keep hearing in relation to dealing with the pandemic. The truth is that technological advances in communication, transportation, and weaponry have created a world (whether we like it or not) in which it is not possible to isolate ourselves. We ARE all in this together, and the only way we’ re going to survive is if we continue to work together with the kind of compassion, generosity, and solidarity that the current health crisis has brought out. Imagine what a different world that would be!
We can learn from this crisis that we truly are one human family, striving to survive and thrive in our common home, planet Earth.
So, how do we keep it going?
- Perhaps the first thing is to recognize that we are better when we work together and take care of one another, not just when there’s a crisis, but all the time. With all of the repercussions from the pandemic, there will be hard times ahead, but we can get through it and come out stronger if we build on the goodness of human nature that is catalyzed by crises of this magnitude.
- Let’s ask ourselves these questions:“What am I doing to mitigate this crisis? What is my family doing? What is my church or social group or organization doing?” and “How can we keep it going?” The problems will not be exactly the same once the health crisis is over, but there will be unemployment and resulting food and shelter issues and others that we may not even be able to anticipate. It will be much less calamitous if we hold tight to the spirit of community that we’re seeing now.
- Now, and when it’s all over, let’s ask ourselves, what can my government do, in recognition of the need to maintain and nurture an attitude of national and global cooperation, to provide aid to the most needy of our country and the world? And then let’s make our feelings known by writing to our representatives and votingfor those candidates who recognize that We’re All In This Together.
- Encourage our churches, social groups and organizations to continue providing humanitarian aid to those in need in our communities, building on initiatives that have sprung up as a result of the virus.
- Take the Pledge of Nonviolence and pass it on to our friends and associates.
Do you have ideas about how we can rally support for “We’re All in This Together?” Let’s share our thoughts.
In peace,
Rose Lord
Founder and Director of the Women’s Self Reliance Program, a project of Global Coalition for Peace
Coordinator, HavServe Child Sponsorship Program
