Good Tuesday Morning!
So things are getting back to normal, sort of. This whole thing has really laid open the strengths - and in maybe more cases, the weaknesses - of our system. The strengths are clear - we have incredible people working at the front lines, and I’ve been amazed at the resilience, the imagination, and the drive of my friends in medical and other “essential” roles.
Some of the weaknesses are also clear - our social safety net is no where near to handling something like this. Unfortunately, I would have guessed this, as I’ve watched as those systems have failed people in more “normal” natural and economic natural disasters for a while now. Systems that didn’t do much for miners, or help folks recovering from floods and hurricanes.
Where this one is really hurting us is in making historic strengths into weaknesses. The community churches in my home neighborhood have always been leaders in responding to natural disasters, and rallying the community. Unfortunately, this time around, those same community ties becomes weaknesses. I’ve read too many stories - including a nationally publicized one right here in West Virginia - about congregations becoming “hot spots”, with terrible effects on these local communities. I hope that folks will recognize the strengths of these groups is in the people - not in the all being in the same room together. The revival will come soon enough - we just have to be patient.