The world is starting to open up again.
But as this all happens, I have this suspicion that we will all just reboot and go back to how it was back in March. But that would be tragic. It would be sad if we didn’t learn from these strange days that we have been going through.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused life to hit a speed bump, to pause for a while.
There has been a little phrase I’ve been thinking about the last few days. It comes from Marilynne Robinson, the author who wrote the novel “Gilead”. She describes our modern times as a “joyless urgency”.
Joyless urgency.
Do you remember that?
The crammed calendar.
The demands on your time.
The hurrying between meetings.
The driving from here to there.
Keeping up with everyone else.
Not missing out.
Squeezing in meals.
Burning the candle at both ends.
Could the new normal turn that around?
I think part of what Jesus had in mind when he invited to us to seek first the Kingdom of God, was a new world where priorities would be joyful, where we wouldn’t get distracted by the chaff of empty materialist stuff. Jesus told us that we cannot add to our height or life by all the worry.
We are starting to peer out at the possibility of a new world, a new normal.
- We are getting ready to connect again in person with family
- Janice and I got our hair cut.
- Shopping malls are opening up. Although I have no desire to go there. I’ll stick to the essentials at our grocery store, the pharmacy and the hardware store.
- We are ordering takeout once a week to support local independent restaurants. Although I think it may be a whole before we eat out a restaurant.
But as this all happens, I have this suspicion that we will all just reboot and go back to how it was back in March. But that would be tragic. It would be sad if we didn’t learn from these strange days that we have been going through.
- I know some have been under work pressure.
- Others worried about losing jobs.
- Or feeling isolated, anxious, or fearful.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused life to hit a speed bump, to pause for a while.
- What did we learn about priorities, about what is important?
- What can we avoid in the new normal, whatever that will look like, that can turn around what was preventing our human flourishing in the old normal?
There has been a little phrase I’ve been thinking about the last few days. It comes from Marilynne Robinson, the author who wrote the novel “Gilead”. She describes our modern times as a “joyless urgency”.
Joyless urgency.
Do you remember that?
The crammed calendar.
The demands on your time.
The hurrying between meetings.
The driving from here to there.
Keeping up with everyone else.
Not missing out.
Squeezing in meals.
Burning the candle at both ends.
Could the new normal turn that around?
I think part of what Jesus had in mind when he invited to us to seek first the Kingdom of God, was a new world where priorities would be joyful, where we wouldn’t get distracted by the chaff of empty materialist stuff. Jesus told us that we cannot add to our height or life by all the worry.
We are starting to peer out at the possibility of a new world, a new normal.
- The question is what are doing to build this new way?
- Do we simply go back to what was, or do we adopt some new patterns?
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