The “Golden Rule” is under duress these days. A casual summary of Covid protocols from a governmental medical authority was recently posted, “Stay away from other people”. Blunt, succinct, and counter-intuitive, if not biblically dissonant. Indeed,
culturally dissonant too.
The core value of reaching out to those in need, let alone achieving social harmony via “quid pro quo”, has been carved into human relations over millennia. It’s a principle that has stood the rest of time. But not today. We’re locked down.
Social media connectivity, which has proven, ironically, to disconnect us in the name of “friending” and “liking”, has found its match in “social distancing”. The result is social isolation like never before in history. We feel the “gulf fixed” keenly. We’re all suffering.
But there may be a silver lining. It’s called “prayer”. Praying for others is an act of love. As you lift your neighbors and loved ones before our Heavenly Father there is connectivity on a higher level. “Bearing one another’s’ burdens” gives one a sense of family and mutual care. It has always proved to be a fulfilling exchange. And, a great aspect of praying for someone else is that it gets your focus off yourself. That’s always a good thing.
