No, the world is not ending
No, the world is not ending. But our big blue marble sure feels more fragile than ever.
As we sit here, continents, countries, time zones and zip codes have all blurred into single global community. What used to worry us now feels almost embarrassingly trivial. We cared more about likes on social media than our social responsibilities.
We were concerned streaming our movies, not about the lines of homeless streaming out of shelters.
We tended to look at our phones more than one another. In fact, we were social distancing without even knowing what that really was not so long ago.
Isn't it strange that we're all craving human connection now that we can't have that connection for a while?
The joy of breaking bread with friends, or raising a glass at the bar, or kneeling together in worship has been replaced with empty chairs and empty pews.
Those in their golden years – the ones who's thought that they'd seen everything – never thought they'd see the day where they couldn't visit with their kids or their grandkids, all because a reassuring hug may put them at risk.
Even the loved ones of those who have died can't come together in any great numbers to mourn. How do we quarantine tears?
But in all this separation, we are still connected by what our better angels are whispering.
We'd truly have to go out of our way to be uncaring in these uncertain times. For once, the road to kindness and compassion is actually the easier one.
We can now see the plights of our neighbors, of the bus driver, or the cab driver, anyone who had been forgotten – all views that perhaps used to be obscured from the hustle and bustle of our lives before.
For anyone wanting a re-set to get back to what matters most – the heart of the human condition – this may be that moment … a test to see if love really does conquer all.
No, the world is not ending. Instead, we just might be getting a new start.
Story produced by Aria Shavelson. Editor: Carol Ross.