Putting the pieces together in a post-COVID world

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Now that COVID is fading — at least seemingly and officially — we can step back and look at some of its effects as we move into the future. No doubt its residuals will be here for a looooong time.

First of all, obviously, are the hundreds and thousands of people who died because of and during the pandemic. Some died from the virus, some from virus-related conditions and others, if you believe stories some folks told, of other issues but because they tested positive while in a hospital or facility, many death certificates were filled out “cause of death — COVID.”

Then there’s the effect on our once robust economy, still not terrible but worse than it was. It’s living with inflation and flirting with other not-so-good characteristics. Many businesses closed, some permanently, because there wasn’t enough staff to go around; that’s still with us in many places. “Help wanted” signs are everywhere but the incentive to work for many has been killed by stay-at-home pay. And our “heroes” and “essential workers” — nurses and truckers, to name but two — of a year or so ago are now villains.

Schools suffered a terrible fate and tremendous burden as computer classes took over. While the knowledge and facts may be the same as that of in-person learning, the absence of learning social skills is producing an effect that may never leave the lives of certain ages of children, carrying into adulthood. Teachers left and right are distressed that a lack of basic society behavior skills — kindness, patience and good behavior, to name just a few — are in shorter supply and leading to stress and violence in the form of school fights.

There are other concerns; you can name your own. One of the most significant is further loss of confidence in our government and its leaders and spokespersons. When you’ve got three people saying four different things, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. And when on Monday, it’s “A” but by Friday, it’s “B” — and from the same individual — you can’t help but wonder, even with understanding that additional facts and information can come onto the scene. And when multiple media outlets look at the same situation and draw entirely different conclusions, what are you going to believe?

But to me, there’s one overarching issue, one that affects all the others. And it’s a concern that isn’t new to COVID but was magnified many times during its worst days.

I speak of isolation.

People stayed home from work. From school. From play. From the store. From the bedside of dying relatives. The first few days, with the exception of losing family members, was going to be a long weekend vacation; then reality set in: this isn’t going to be good.

So here’s where we are today: how do we move into the future? And here’s where, I believe, we’ve got to go the extra mile — of hearing other folks tell their stories, of taking them where we find them, of being slow to judge, of being kind. And when I think of that, I’m reminded of something I came across years ago while a seminary student.

The question was asked: where do we find such a place that does all that, that accepts folks as they are? I thought of Waffle House, one of my favorite places, but the guy asking the question said, “Nope, not it.” So I asked him, “Where, then?”

“Your neighborhood tavern or bar,” he told me.

Now I’m no expert on either of those but I followed his point. And I’m not suggesting by any stretch of the imagination we all take up bar-hopping, but I am saying that in this new day and age of isolation, depression, adjustment and what have you that the local church could learn something here.

Obviously, the goal is different. The bar just wants folks to keep coming back; the church and its faith should be intent on not just meeting folks where they are but pointing them to a better way. That’s how the One (I always use capital letters) Christians follow did things — meeting folks where they were before pointing them to a better way. Now seems like a good time to try it again.

Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and retired long-time managing editor of the Chatham News/Chatham Record, having written a weekly column for more than 30 years. During most of his time with the newspapers, he was also a bi-vocational pastor and today serves Bear Creek Baptist Church for the second time as pastor.