It has brought no innovation, no creativity. It has only brought deliberate SUPPRESSION. It has turned Hollywood into a bunch of amateurs blogging from their cell phones. Athletics have been shut down. You can't even go to church, and those in the media even blame church for spreading this disease. Government picks and chooses what kind of businesses are allowed to operate. You can't get a haircut. You can't even go to a dentist. Schools are closed. Elections are suspended. Friends can't see each other. A police state roams the streets vowing to fine anyone who dares spend time with more than one other person.
All under the premise that this will slow the spread of the disease. Yet new cases continue to climb, a month after social distancing cut 80% of human contact in this country, a number that was said to be enough to stop this. THIS. IS. NOT. WORKING.
In war and depression we were allowed to see our loved ones in person! We were allowed to work together! At least we had each other, and the government has torn that from us this time! That's what makes this so heinous. They are trampling on free religion, right to assemble, the legislative process, and so much more. The government response to this virus is tearing apart the social fabric of this country and the world.
That's why this must stop at the soonest possible time. We are trading a physical health crisis for a mental health crisis, and it hasn't even stopped the physical crisis. The Chinese Communists are laughing as we now live like them, and we all know that the government is not going to give up the power it has seized for itself without a fight.
I agree that we should stop this as soon as possible, but as for the rest of the pessimism, I cannot concur....
This is a difficult situation, and I can see that my optimism is not accepted, and it seems that, since I am in Ohio, I am seeing things differently, and more positively than most here are. I will only clarify a few points, and then let this go....
- Here in Ohio, there ARE innovations and has been great creativity in our small businesses, research firms and manufacturers to solve this problem as quickly as possible. Every day in our press briefings there is good news about people coming up with solutions, and how we can move forward out of this mess. I see examples every single day.
- Athletics wasn't shut down. It shut itself down. Churches here weren't shut down. The vast majority decided to
love their neighbors and stop having larger group gatherings, but have very active online ministries, continued food ministries, continued counseling ministries, continued showing the love of Christ to the rest of the world. Here in Ohio (not bragging, so no accusations, please), churches aren't under the order to cease meeting. It's just that the vast majority of church leadership has made the wise decision not to meet so that the members of the congregation weren't put at great risk.
- The flat line IS the success. If you just use basic math and the intense contagiousness of the disease carried by humans and spread by human contact, you can see that cases would be much worse if we continued to gather in groups as usual. (The worst cluster outbreaks have been in places where people are together in larger groups.... nursing homes, church gatherings, prisons.....).
- Though we are kept from our greater families, there are many families who are spending more time together than they have before. Families are eating together, playing in the yard together, worshiping together (albeit sometimes around the computer), and learning together. This is a GOOD thing. Because busy schedules have been curtailed, many people are spending more time in meaningful relationships than previously. In addition, with technology and time on our hands, many families who are always apart are actually spending more time together. As an example, I have had more quality time on Skype, Facetime and on the phone with all four of my kids who are scattered all over the country (and the world) than I have before.
But again, my seeing the best in this situation is obviously bothering some of you, so I will try to curtail my (public) optimism that the economy will recover and that we will come out of this a stronger nation than before, and keep my good feelings to myself.
Yes, this needs to end soon, and because we have been kind and loving and wise, it WILL end soon. And because American ingenuity still exists, we WILL recover economically. Families will be stronger. What is really important will be more obvious. The Church will be stronger, because so many have focused on Christ and devotion during these days, and not on themselves.
But, I have decided to take my optimistic ball and go home, because people here want to see the worst. They want to be mad at people and the short term challenges, and not the virus, which is the real enemy. God IS in control. Use this time for the best.
