A society under fear

If, as the tagline of this blog suggests, life is a story, then this is quite some chapter.

Life is nothing like it was 6 weeks ago. Understatement. Life is so far beyond what anybody could have predicted that it’s almost surreal. There are hints of former social norms, but almost no aspect of life has been left unscathed. And the scars will run deep.

Amid the stoicism, community spirit and appreciation for simplicity, slowness and the things that really matter, there is a more sinister culture emerging; one built on fear, observation, state control, peer pressure and a lack of freedom and understanding. To pen the obvious, those are the key components of some of the best-selling dystopian novels.

I feel judged if I accidentally step anywhere near another human outside my household on our one walk per day, judged when I don’t participate in the Thursday night clap and judged for even thinking let alone speaking the words that lockdown should lift and we should continue with life, albeit with some common sense adjustments.

This life is not biblical. There are certainly biblical elements such as slowness and reflection that have been reintroduced to culture as a result of it, but it is not life to the full, in community, with hospitality and without fear.

Polls say that lockdown has become the ‘popular’ choice, but many of those who believe it is for the good are missing huge chunks of data, choosing a short term solution with severe long term consequences – discounting the impact on mental health and the economy for generations to come at the very least – and most worrying for me, choosing fear over faith.

There are many people very close to me who fall into extremely vulnerable categories as well as family who work on the ‘frontline’ in the NHS (which has become an idol for worship in itself; a whole other subject). Believing that this way of life is not for the best does not put aside my desire to protect them or anyone else. But this is only protecting them from a virus with a very (very) low mortality rate, while simultaneously robbing them of true life.

Perhaps one day, our world will return to a place without screens (the non-digital kind; also another subject) separating us from our fellow humans, without us having to abstain from physical touch or even proximity and without state imposed controls on our freedoms, hopes and dreams.

But my biggest concern is that if and when that day comes, the culture of fear will be so embedded that society won’t know how to break free, find deep joy or learn to risk again; to know that every day presents its own challenges and dangers but ultimately, life is there to be lived and we trust in our Creator for the rest.

My continued prayer is that culture will shift again and recognise the cloud of fear it is living under. May the community, slowness and simplicity live on, but in a world and culture that is worth living in.

Friendship, community and serving

“Friends voluntarily tie their hearts to one another.”

This beautiful quote from Tim Keller’s The Way of Wisdom reminded me just how important it is to invest in the people around me.

One of my goals for this year was to find ways to serve others. That doesn’t mean signing up for a rota or doing a few random good deeds. It means an intentional* shift in the way I think, the way I interact and the way I look around me. It means going out of my way to be there for my friends. It means sacrificing my time if needed so that others come first. It means making it a priority to check in with my friends; to find thoughtful actions or ways to make sure they know they are loved.

And it extends beyond my friends. Serving others is hugely rewarding, even when you don’t know them well. It is a privilege. The number of times in the last few weeks, people have served our new little family and when I’ve tried to express my huge gratitude, they’ve responded: ‘Are you kidding me?! It’s a privilege to be trusted and brought into your family.’

That mindset – that others can get deep and genuine joy from serving others and even consider it an honour, no matter how much of a stranger – still staggers me but I want to cultivate it. By serving others, we are serving the Lord; Jesus said when you serve others, you serve me (Matthew 25:35-40). Serving the Lord is what we were created to do, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it brings us joy!

As a start, I’ll try to check in on my friends more regularly, send more snail mail, try to say ‘yes’ more often and invite people round for a good meal that inspires community. From there, we’ll see how it goes!

Shabbat shalom.

 

*Apologies for the cringe-worthy Christianese but I felt it was appropriate here…