Over the last few weeks, the exponential surge in COVID-19 victims across the globe has prompted many countries to begin taking extreme measures in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Italy, China, and Israel were among the first to enforce quarantines, closures of schools and all non-essential businesses, and travel bans. While the United States has yet to announce significant nationwide measures beyond international travel restrictions, many states and private institutions have suspended activities to encourage “social distancing” as a preventative strategy.
Understandably, the sudden implementation of these measures has left countless citizens, even if otherwise unaffected by the virus, burdened by a vague sense of confusion, isolation, and fear. Grocery and convenience stores are experiencing major shortages as panicked consumers rush to stock up on essentials, spurred by uncertainty as to how long they will be home-bound. Yet, many individuals, companies, and organizations have also responded with kindness and compassion, and their stories are pinpoints of hope and warmth against the general alarm and anxiety of this time.
Rebecca Mehra, a professional runner in Bend, Oregon, recently shared on Twitter her encounter with an elderly couple too afraid to risk exposure by entering a crowded grocery store. Mehra took the grateful couple’s shopping list, paid for the items on their behalf, and came back out to load their car. News of the touching incident, along with Mehra’s example of the difference that small acts of kindness can make in these difficult times, has gone viral, encouraging us not to let our own fears get in the way of helping our neighbors in need. To read the full story, visit Today.com or any of the numerous other sites that reported on the event.
Furthermore, isolated individuals are not the only ones performing compassionate actions like this. Many large-scale companies have also made an effort to help out within the economic sector. For example, Walt Disney World and Disneyland parks are donating all excess food to food banks during the COVID-19 closure. Members of the NBA, while the basketball season has been suspended, pledged thousands of dollars to take care of arena and concession company staff whose incomes have suffered due to the cancellations. In the same vein, numerous online education companies, recognizing the financial strain caused by the pandemic in so many families, have waived subscription fees. For more examples of corporations and communities doing their part to give back, visit Forbes’ Magazine.
Lastly, the growing spirit of compassion and shared humanity in the face of this crisis extends even into the international sphere, demonstrated through a particularly moving trend among countries of including with shipments of medical supplies uplifting messages from the receiving state’s own culture. According to MashableSEAsia, the chain began with China sending parcels of masks to Italy with a famous quote from Roman philosopher Seneca: “We are waves from the same sea, leaves from the same tree, flowers of the same garden”. Other nations followed suit, and China soon after received materials from Japan with lines from a Chinese poem, translating to, “Even though we live at different places, we live under the same sky”.
These and countless other demonstrations of charity testify to the persistence of love even in the midst of crisis. In a recent interview, Pope Francis asked believers and nonbelievers to confront this challenge together as a community; it seems that the world is heeding his call. Whatever else happens, we can take comfort knowing that the Lord is still at work in the world. Whatever else it may prevent, a pandemic cannot destroy our solidarity and hope.
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