Coronavirus and The Future
As I write this there are signs that although, due to Coronavirus, the days are very
dark, there is light on the horizon with the rollout of vaccinations across society. There
can be no doubt that we are going through an awful time in world history, but often in
the past, when others went through awful, and seemingly apocalyptical times, normal
everyday people found new ways to be. They engaged with the future, while asking
themselves the question, “how will the future look when this is over?”
I took a congregation free Zoom Service from Wartling Church recently, and as I did;
I was standing in a Church that dated back to the twelve hundreds. In 1348 this must
have been the same question that was asked in the time of the Black Death. In 1645
it would have been asked in the time of the Great Plague, later in the time of the
Smallpox Outbreak, then in the time of the Spanish Flu.
It is still being asked today
with the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Fear of the future is understandable, but it does seem that with the barrage of negative
news that there is at the moment has turned people, quite understandably, into hyper-anxious beings. But despite all the problems many have taken issues into their own
hands in order to make a difference. Rather than being told what to do by politicians
or those on the violent political fringe, they became the authors of the future.
They
probably would not see themselves as such, but whether Marcus Rashford MBE, or
those that helped others through the Volunteer Schemes, they were.
The true mark of a person is how quickly they bounce back after a seeming disaster,
because when things that are beyond our influence go wrong, it is impossible to go
back and start a new beginning, but what we can do is to start today and make a new
ending.
Rev Peter Doodes