Out of evil comes good. Being a positive person, I always like to take
the position that all things happen for the greater good.
Corona caused me to miss, probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Kenya in April
2020 and an upcoming trip to St. Augustine, Florida in May 2020 and I am still
trying to figure out the greater good, but time will reveal all!
In the meantime, I must meditate on these wise words written by the late, great Bob Marley:
There’s a natural mystic
Blowing through the air
If you listen carefully now you will hear
This could be the first trumpet
Might as well be the last
Many more will have to suffer
Many more will have to die
Don’t ask me why
Things are not the way they used to be
I won’t tell no lie
One and all got to face reality now
Get the drift?
As far as the
planet which I now occupy is concerned, having an invisible virus which has taught
many powerful people that they are not all-powerful, is wonderful for all
who they sought to rule or influence.
You also need to
read the essay called Quiet China written by a Chinese pastor to a brother who
lives in Istanbul for some of his views have really made me stop to appreciate
some really good aspects of this virus. One observation that he made which I
overwhelmingly want to associate myself with is:
“The ‘wild
animals’ that were once held by humans in cages finally managed to put humans
in cages.”
This is clearly
in reference to the fact that the virus came from a wild animal that was
infected by bats at a live market in China.
If this virus
can deter the Chinese from killing and eating wild animals, especially exotic
and endangered ones, it will be a great gift to mankind, especially future
generations. For this craving of theirs to eat rare tigers and other exotic
animals; kill elephants because of some so-called medicinal effect they say
they get from the ground tusks, thus depleting numerous endangered species, has
also cost many countries in Africa and Asia, dearly.
Affected African
and Asian countries have had to spend billions in scarce resources to keep away
poachers and save the species so future generations can enjoy these wonderful
animals.
Let’s hope the
habit of putting wild animals that were once held by humans in cages, will
be broken forever, even after the virus takes us, humans, out of our cages’
Another observation he made in his essay
was:
“The air is getting
fresher…the haze is gone…the sky is getting bluer.”
While his essay was specifically about what
was happening in China, because almost every country has now had to restrict
human activity because of this invisible virus, worldwide the air, sea, and sky
will start to become cleaner and the planet will heal.
Already, in Italy — one of the countries
most badly affected — a miracle is taking place. The news is that the waters
around Venice have actually started to become blue and fish, and even
dolphin, can now be seen swimming around happily.
I have been to Venice more than once and
never ever imagined those waters could become blue!
Another way the virus is forcing us to stop
destroying our planet is that it has reduced traffic, as millions are being
forced to park their cars instead of going to offices and schools.
Production has not stopped in most cases
though, simply because millions are now operating/teaching just as effectively
from their homes. This has also cut into the heavy use of air-conditioning in
the vast concrete structures. For as you know, HFC used in air-conditioning is
a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
There is absolutely no reason why, after
this virus teaches us that many workers including teachers can be just as
effective working from homes, this should not NOW become the new norm.
In my book, anything that helps to heal
this planet and fight climate change is good. So, by forcing us to change the
way we do things, the coronavirus is doing mankind a great good.
As to forcing us to become more hygienic!
By the time this is over, the measures we have been forced to take, should (I
hope) become a habit. For good hygiene will not only fight corona and other
viruses but also regular germs which are also hazardous to our health.
Importantly too, by forcing us to spend
more time with our families, that can only be good for the welfare of most
children.
In his final sentence in the essay referred
to above, the pastor declared: “THE VIRUS REMINDED US THERE IS AN ALMIGHTY AND
HUMANS ARE JUST HUMANS.”
Need I say more?
It always helps too, when we, like Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, remember that “Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into
a tranquil joy.”
So let’s give thanks for small mercies.
