After pandemic, let’s find a better normal for the ‘least of these’
As we experienced Easter Sunday like no other, I spent the day in meditation on our global virus upheaval. When the COVID-19 pandemic flattens out, I don’t want us to get back to what is normal. What is normal has meant to marginalize and disenfranchise those people that Christ called “the least of these.” Christ, along with other spiritual prophets have encouraged us by saying that if you want to love Christ, wish to follow a spiritual path, desire to be an enlightened human being, then to do that is to love, protect and serve “the least of these.” In the USA even though we have “In God We Trust” on our money and claim to be founded in the Christian faith, we clearly have not followed these teachings of Christ.
But this COVID-19 pandemic has clearly pointed out that this contradiction exists beyond the USA and is manifest on a global level. In many ways we have not followed the teachings of Christ and other prophets (we remember that Dr. King’s last campaign was the Poor People’s campaign). We have been individualistic, capitalistic, racist, (and other isms), homo-centric and have created environments where “the least of these” are the most vulnerable with compromised health conditions that continue to get crucified in this pandemic.
So in some ways this pandemic is serving as a crucifixion for us as humans. But it can also serve as a resurrection for us at the species level. This pandemic crucifixion will be a global opportunity to do many things very differently and not go back to what is normal. So let’s not get back to normal, but let’s resurrect ourselves and find the essence of Christ within our individual selves as well as our collective actions in our communities. Creating this new normal will require a different way forward.
As our various global communities begin the long road of reopening and rebuilding, there are things to do that can help us create a new normal where the once “least of these” are not marginalized into compromised positions but have full access to every quality of life condition. To reach this new normal our resurrection will need to employ “cultural vaccines” that have a comprehensive scope and should include such things as: healthcare for all; elimination of health disparities; creating a true healthcare system based on prevention rather than our current disease-care system; healthy and local food for all; gardens everywhere; slow food, slow lifestyle, slow society; livable wages and income for all; respect and safe working conditions for all food and agricultural workers; huge reductions in CO2 emissions; leadership that serves the 99 percent and not the 1 percent; increased localization of commerce; education and restorative justice rather than mass incarceration; creativity and innovation unleashed; greater reliance on cooperatives and mutual aid; deepened relationships with the natural world; systems and quantum thinking to help build resilience and insight on how to embrace uncertainty and an eco-centric worldview.
Communities across the world will find lives shattered with the need to rebuild. Our challenge is now to find ways to rebuild our lives in every way. Every community has a different history, culture, demography and political philosophy and will adopt this new way is its own creative way. We will need to fashion systems that are simple, replicable and transparent to better withstand future crises. Economies that are too narrow and too dependent on outside forces will be again vulnerable to complete shutdown for now unforeseen crises. Those communities that are best able to withstand future crises -whether pandemics, climate disruptions or financial meltdowns – will be the ones that roll out cultural vaccines which ensure that the entire community thrives.
In Kentucky it would mean expanding our notion of being a commonwealth to a greater commitment to providing a common health to our people, environment, and economy as an integrated whole.
Jim Embry is a social activist living in Richmond.