PONDERING THE PANDEMIC
Reflexionando La Pandemia
by
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Monday, August 31, 2020
Her legs are exposed, but is her face covered with a mask? [Photographer: Jamsthebest. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
During the pandemic, I noticed two young girls wearing short shorts that barely covered their backsides along with short tops, but they both wore masks that covered their mouths and noses.
I couldn't help but remember a snippet from Cole Porter's song, "Anything Goes". The lyrics seem to apply to what we're seeing today: "In olden days a glimpse of stocking Was looked on as something shocking. Now heaven knows, Anything goes." While ankles could not show, faces were bare. Now the lower area of faces must be covered while legs may be bare from toe to hip. In a later line of that same tune, Mr. Porter added, "The world has gone mad today." By "mad", he meant "berserk".
It helps to remember that Cole Porter wrote those lyrics in 1934 during the worldwide financial crisis known as the Great Depression. People lost their jobs, businesses, and homes to the point that they were unable to feed themselves and their families. Consequently, traditional values were challenged. People suffered financial ruin and depression to the point that many committed suicide. Those have also happened during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It wasn't all that long ago that our bank had a sign on the doors at the entrance that advised incoming customers to remove all head coverings and sunglasses. The sign was part of an effort to prevent robbery. Now, businesses of all sorts require everyone entering to wear a mask. While covering the face was prohibited before, it is now mandated so that everyone looks like a bank robber — even small children.
Even a small child looks like a bank robber while wearing a mask and a hood. [Photographer: Mircea. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
It is not unusual for people to become anxious, confused, ill, and depressed when the forbidden things of the past are permitted while the previously permitted things are forbidden. In such a situation, it is not surprising that people try to find ways to cope. While some try to escape by watching videos, others turn to substances such as alcohol.
Although there are reports that consumption of alcohol is up, so is the adoption of pets — especially dogs. A recent news report told that shelters, nonprofit rescue groups, pet stores, and private breeders cannot keep up with the demand for puppies and dogs. In some cases, such groups have created waiting lists. However, they have concerns that those pets may suffer neglect or anxiety once their owners return to their offices and schools so that they are not home as much.
Another result of the pandemic is that online gatherings have gained popularity. I took a class in American Sign Language online and found that it moved much slower than in-person classes I took on the same subject.
One of the unexpected outcomes of the pandemic is weddings attended via Zoom. Although Zoom was previously considered to be the domain of video teleconferencing, televising weddings via Zoom allows grandparents to participate when they would have been unable to attend in person. There is a large saving in the cost of a Zoom wedding so that the couple might save enough to make a down payment on a dwelling.
Some couples have opted to go ahead with their traditional wedding during the pandemic but have scaled down their plans. A small wedding can still be a memorable one.
The advantage of a small wedding in a home setting is that even the family pet may attend. [Photographer: Consul_skg. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
I have often noted that families don't remember the perfect weddings as vividly as the ones in which something went wrong. It is the imperfect happenings that make a wedding most memorable. The slip-ups, the dropped wedding ring and the flower girl that picks her nose as she walks down the aisle are the moments that people remember.
Perhaps the lesson we can gain from the pandemic experience is not to depend on customary habits. Relying on "the way we've always done it" means we are not relying on the Lord. If we keep our focus on Him, we can trust Him to work things out for the best.
Christianity is an adventure for those willing to let go and let God lead them. In Jeremiah 33:3, God advises, "Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (NKJV) That requires that we not only call to Him, but that we also listen.
BIBLE VERSES USED IN THIS POSTING
Jeremiah 33:3 — Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (NKJV)
Jeremías 33:3 — Clama a mí, y yo te responderé, y te enseñaré cosas grandes y ocultas que tú no conoces. (Reina-Valera 1960)
During the pandemic, everyone wears a mask. No exceptions. [Photographer: Sumanley xulx. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
