I thank Charles for starting this thread. It is a very good idea; it gives us an opportunity to show our better faces. I am spending my extra time doing just what the title says--reflecting.
Make no mistake. The COVID-19 crisis is most serious. I believe those medical scientists who tell us it will get worse and that it could last more than a year. That is serious! Yet I have some (faint) optimistic thoughts; after all, the glass is also "half-full."
1. Traditional American cooperation is in high gear. The $2 Trillion relief bill is the primary proof of that, especially that it could pass unanimously in this era of deep polarization. But that devotion to cooperation is apparent in every neighborhood. Last week my immigrant neighbor (Bangladesh) next door called me to assure me that if I needed anything at all, please let them know. (It occurred to me that I am 80 after all; I don't think of that often but they are aware of it)
2. As our elected officials weigh decisions and advocate for the life and death needs of their constituents, in my mind I reflect applying their stated reasoning to the issue of abortion. I see the weight of the arguments for life over expediency. That's not universal of course but "life" dominates our public thinking, it seems to me. We are not suddenly going to reverse abortion the month following the conclusion of our crisis but I think we will continue to inch forward and end the crisis closer than we were on January 2020.
3. Maybe, just maybe, we will experience a sustained revival of religion. 9/11 gave us only a (very) brief revival. Corona may drive us deeper into the mysteries God and our desperate need for him. Let's wait and see.
Like everyone, I also do the ordinary. Cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning (my cleaning service is shut down), calling my talented and faithful colleagues (I'm the circuit visitor), reading what I had not gotten around to, dinng with daughter and grandson, etc.
Peace, JOHN
