What a time to be alive! Perhaps I should say,…”What a time to STAY alive!” As a worldwide pandemic wreaks havoc in every aspect of our lives, nothing and no one is spared. Not the rich nor the poor- the powerful nor the weak- those who wield great influence or those who have none. No one… not even one is spared. This virus, regardless of ones point of view, is no respecter of persons. It comes and goes as it pleases. And when it is done, it leaves behind a trail of tears, destruction and desperation; not to mention the fear it leaves behind that it “may” decide to return with a vengeance.
It has broken the saying that states, “No man is an island” into a virtual opposite. The society that thrived on “rubbing elbows” with each other and on face to face relationships have now been torn apart and pushed far from each other. Face to face relations have beed reduced to such as long as there is a piece of plastic that comes reinforced with a cloth mask to come in between them. The big hugs that people loved to exchanged have been reduced to fist or elbow bumps if at all…virtual nods.
In all of this, the world still exerts its greatest efforts to connect! In our hearts, we long for that God-designed human warmth. We want to hear a genuine laugh unobscured by plastic shields. We want to see real smiles with actual teeth ….or lack of it. Mind you, we even desire to see some tears. We desire to hear words spoken unmuffled by layers of cloth or paper. We want to reclaim what, simply put; makes us HUMAN. Even under one roof, the virtual, digital world has successfully separated all of us. We multi-task between entertainments, chats, videos and now, even study. We have become microcosms of isolated islands that form one country, live under one sky, yet alienated from each other. What a travesty of the true description of humanness! We have made great technological strides to remain connected. But, in all our efforts of connectedness, we find that we are Connected yet Disconnected.
Hands are tied. Hearts tugged. Emotions run high. We are tired of being “locked up” and yet despite naysayers, one cannot deny the real danger of this season in history. Shall we just throw caution to the wind and wing it? YOLO sounds really nice at this point. Then again, if we follow the YOLO mandate and run out of the ONE LIFE that has been gifted to us, will we feel that we have used up that ONE life on such frivolous and reckless endeavors just so we could say, “we did because we wanted to?” In the words of the philosopher Francis Schaeffer, “How Should We Then Live?” I ask you, “HOW SHOULD you and I live?” Do we opt to live as we simply please or should we just grin and grit our teeth and bear it? “Suck it up, Buttercup!” As some would say. Should we grab opportunity by its braided hair or live like hermits in deep meditative seclusion?
Dare I say, Neither! We were built for so much more than this. If man was built for relationships, then amidst these dangers and challenges, so be it! We may be disconnected but we don’t need to LIVE disconnected. Let us work with the opportunities we have and CHOOSE to live significantly in the limited yet important lives of those whom God has allowed to entered our fragmented world. Refuse to allow our disconnections to further move us farther away from each other. The degrees of connections may have changed but our Great Commission has not. Let bridges be built through media and technology. We can dare to engage yet heed all precautions not out of fear or compliance but so that we can keep reaching out over and over again. Do Whatever is needed, whenever it’s possible and in whatever way you can. Refuse to be disconnected instead, decide to connect. Too much is at stake. Relationships and mental health need constant stimulation. Your simple and seemingly unmindful connection may actually be someone else’s lifeline.
In these days, a gracious word holds more value than sheer conformity. Leave room for mistakes albeit, at times, confused stupidity. Be generous with space for mistakes. Dare I remind you, we have all been spaced out since 2019! Who knows? It may be your turn to be stupid tomorrow. So extend that lifeline, that grace-filled word, that virtual olive branch of peace. Lord knows we can all use a little bit of them these days.
Disconnected ? Yes. Alienated? May it never be. Plug in and connect now.
ticaphotography 