Healing a Community

When you were sick as a child, mom rubbed VapoRub on your chest. A humidifier was added to your bedside table. And if things got worse, the doctor was called and he came to the house. Kid brother and sister stayed quiet and checked on me from time to time. So did dad when he came home from work.

Even the neighbor ladies visited. And some of my friends. Illness was shared with others to help the sick get well, and to share the belonging.

Today, we do the same when illness or tragedy strikes close to home. A family burned out of their home is housed temporarily at a friend’s home on the same block, the churches and community rally to raise funds to help tide them over to a temporary home, replace clothes lost in the blaze, and begin the process of replacing all the things lost in the fire. The community helps the afflicted family via strength in numbers. Collection of food, household supplies are quickly assembled. To make the family whole, the community comes together. In the process the community makes itself whole.

When a husband or father, wife or mother dies, hands are stretched out to help the bereaved. We draw close to heal open wounds of the heart. We do this to calm ourselves as much as the grief stricken. We hope to heal others as we would hope to be healed by others in our time of need.

Communities are like that. They come together in times of crisis and face the future together in strength.

So why are we facing a quiet community in the face of so many horrible happenings?

The pandemic has attacked our community, not just our immediate neighborhood or town, city or village. The larger community too has been under attack – our state, region and nation. Yes, our friends in other nations as well have been affected. In fact, the entire global community is under attack by a virus which attaches to other health issues and makes for millions of deaths and untold suffering.

We witness many communities coming together in the face of the pandemic to strengthen each of us in order to survive the pandemic. We do this for us and for others. In turn, they do this for themselves and for others. That is community at work.

So why are there so many people who have avoided supporting their community? Afraid of a national or international conspiracy? Of a health industry run wild? Or a political war of ideologies that is a secret attack on all of us? What is it they fear, believe? Why do they forsake their community, family, town, city and larger communities in which they are a citizen. If their house were on fire, would they want the community to help them extinguish the flames and rebuild their lives?

If so, then what makes the pandemic different?

Or gun violence in our community? Why do we allow gun violence to exist? What are we all doing to suppress gun violence? What are its causes and solutions? Why does the community ignore this awful plague on our society? Mass shootings. Lone murders. Drive by shootings. Armed robberies. Suicide by gun. These are but a symptom of an attack on the community. Why do we allow it to be without response?

And poverty. And so many other issues that strike at the foundation of our self and security. Why do we fight the solutions? What makes for this self-destructive behavior?

The community needs our help. Our community, our help. This is not ideology. This is duty.

December 10, 2021

 

 

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