Dear Editor,
Let’s build our bridge of hope this Easter. The Easter message says “Yes We Can!” There can be redemption and renewal! We can find our way out of the pandemic, though it will take time and patience. We could value one another as human beings made in the likeness of God and help the less fortunate. We could work with the NGO sector to ensure that help reaches those in need. We can move to change systemic issues that distort our society.
The medical challenge is not the medical challenge of keeping people safe and alive; this is how we make sure that most Guyanese can live a decent life – that they have food on the table; a job or business that can support themselves and their families; they are not put out on the streets because they can’t pay the rent or mortgage; that we are not creating another lost generation of children because they did not have access to online classes or their parents were unable to assist / supervise them.
Easter is of course the most important event on the Christian calendar because it speaks to the very essence of the Christian faith – that Jesus Christ died on the cross and on the third day he rose from the dead. The significance of this is that Jesus’ death represents the sacrifices the Son of God made for humanity; while the resurrection points us to a new life.
Easter 2021 continues to meet us “on our knees”, devastated by a devastated virus. One day we were invincible, or so we thought and acted. The next day, cracked with physical and emotional pain, our voices were curled in our throats.
Our hearts fail us just in case. We are anxious, confused and grieving. Pests, though increasingly common, always get us ready. Our minds race back and forth as we long for some normality.
The most important thing is not to set our hearts on false hopes – whether in false stories or conspiracy theories. Those are endless streets, cruel jokes played on the unconscious.
Carriers of these stories themselves seek solutions and wish to regain predictability. They are trying to rationalize what is happening, but you cannot build a better future with a lie. Therefore, beware of those who pedal darkness and ridicule and offer little beyond a call for repentance. We live in a messy, messy society. A virus should be expected, without moral attributes. This point is to argue that God never answered Job in his long and direct conversation with him about why suffering and pain are part of our existence. God made no attempt to justify this. He only convinced Job of his sovereignty.
We should not, therefore, look for easy answers when it comes to pain. In most cases, there are no real easy answers
The question, in light of the impending consequences, then is: what do we owe to each other? Are we, more fortunate and able to isolate ourselves through our Zoom platform, social bubbles, and remote activities, going to round up the risks to zero, forgetting that those risks add up to remind me the less fortunate? With this mindset, how will the Ministry of Health and various other agencies seek a long-term solution?
Correctly,
David Adams
