COVID and the long way home
If there is anything that has become painfully clear over the last year, it is this: we are forever changed and much has been lost that may never be regained. If you believe in the law of energy conservation, perhaps it is more comforting to know nothing is ever truly lost, however that may feel to the heart that has been broken. The lessons of heartache in the face of indefinite isolation overlapping with the grief of lost loved ones, smothered in the helplessness of it all have challenged our humanity and our resilience. Yet as vaccines roll out and cases continue to ebb and flow, there is a looming uncertainty and a lack of resolution. We remain in limbo. There is wonder about the next deadly strain, a previously undiscovered concern about the vaccine, or perhaps as the smoke is clearing we are now confronted with the vulnerabilities we carried even before the pandemic.
Yet amidst the chaos lie morsels of truth about the human body and the way we heal, truths that have withstood other pandemics, assaults, traumas. As we have been terrorized by the suffering laid bare by COVID-19, there has been less attention on those who have recovered or those minimally affected. There is still much to learn about the factors that allowed the seemingly young and healthiest of us to succumb to this often deadly virus, but for the vast majority who lost their lives, the stain of chronic disease is not to be overlooked, lest we neglect a vital lesson. Much like the 74% of annual deaths reported in the world from preventable disease, I believe a majority of COVID deaths could have been preventable. The downstream effects of the pandemic, much like all downstream effects, represent a symptom of a much deeper pathology, a dysfunction that has been brewing and waiting for the ripe opportunity it found when the crowned virus came knocking.
There are certainly the physiological considerations of a vulnerable host being confronted by a deadly virus, but what of the social and spiritual vulnerabilities that have equally been laid bare? I joined in the confusion and frustration of many as I watched masking and social distancing recommendations not only ignored, but mocked. Even as bodies accumulated in makeshift graves, trucks in hospital parking lots, as doctors and nurses sometimes quite literally killed themselves to simply keep up, there were those who were not willing to shoulder responsibility to care for their loved ones or the most vulnerable in our communities by simply wearing a mask and maintaining a safe distance. And in the same breath, I am also deeply moved by the many who went above and beyond to ensure the safety of others. Perhaps the virus as a stressor, like many others with a different name, simply magnified the polarity within human nature.
How do we continue to learn and grow from such a defeating notion - that there will always be those who are deeply motivated by self preservation, while some of the kindest among us remain invisible? We start with ourselves. We work on our own healing and commit to being on the side of history that chooses love above all things.
