I went to Maui with some friends at the end of January and remember hearing about COVID in China and thinking, "I wonder how many of these tourists here may have it on the plane going home?" Hawaii is where people from all over the globe travel to, so there could be travelers there with the virus. I didn't really give it too much thought and was just enjoying the time with my hubby and friends. But in February I started thinking, "This stuff can get serious. My uncle won't go to church in Chinatown for a while because he's 87 years old and wants to make sure he doesn't catch it." Some people thought he was over-reacting, but he and other cautious folks were vigilant despite what the President was saying.
Then we get into March and New York is having high numbers of COVID. My dad turned 90 in March, but all parties were postponed til further notice to be safe... and then we got the Shelter-in-Place (SIP). Since then, I've been real careful to minimize my time outside the house - just walking the dogs or riding my bike, getting groceries, etc... because I don't want to inadvertently be a silent carrier and spread it to my parents. I still wear my mask inside their house when I bring in their groceries and do some light cleaning for them... so I try not to worry too much about spreading it to them. I do what I can to protect them and I pray to God that He protects us all. Dad and my aunt had to go to the hospital since March, but thankfully neither got COVID and were easily treated and returned home. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it is for people who have loved ones that died alone with nobody by their side. I'm thankful for the hospital staff that work through this and give as much comfort and care they can to the patients.
You'd think, "A global pandemic should bring the world together to find a cure and beat it." But sadly, we have a President who dismantled the National Security Council Pandemic Response Team in 2018, ignored the Pandemic Playbook left by the Obama Administration, and initially downplayed the seriousness of the virus that's now killed over 100k American people. Other folks like the South Koreans took early action and limited their number of victims per capita. On top of that, 45 had to call it the "China Virus" to try to deflect any "blame" off himself to China despite experts worldwide asking him to call it the Corona Virus. Consequently, Asian-Americans were/are harrassed and mistreated and blamed... but the President continued to push the narrative. When he finally stopped calling it the China Virus, he pulled out of the WHO... so no, the global pandemic did not bring the world together (or at least not the U.S.) I've prayed that nation and world leaders would work together, but instead it seems "Pharaoh's heart was hardened."
Thankfully, the California Governor Gavin Newsom called for Shelter-in-Place or it would've been a lot worse. After a few weeks, I saw news footage of people arming themselves and protesting SIP at various locations around the country and asked myself, "Why are they bringing guns? You can't shoot the virus. Why aren't they at least wearing masks?" And then I saw the President encouraging this behavior and not wearing a mask himself. Most sensible people know that the mask is to protect others in case you are a silent carrier, and wearing a mask is to show others that you care for them. The fact that 45 won't wear one tells me a lot about where his priorities lie. Again, it seems "Pharaoh's heart was hardened."
I joked with my daughter about these being Biblical times with plagues being set before us. Then there were killer hornets! It was as if we were getting modern-day locusts!
Then in close succession, we got three incidences of Black people being unjustly killed: Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In Arbery and Floyd's cases, there was video footage of the killings. Make no mistake - these racially fueled killings by law enforcement has been going on for decades if not centuries... But the video of one Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) killing a Black man while 3 other LEO stood by has made it crystal clear to America that there's a problem. Before, people could say, "Oh it's just a few bad apples," or "What about Antifa" or "All lives matter" etc. And while too many people STILL say these things, there are a good number of people who are waking up to the reality that, like insects, if you see one bug, then there are probably thousands more that you don't see yet. We are now starting to see them come to the forefront thanks to cameras. The fact that 3 others just stood by also indicates that there could very well be a "blue wall of silence" so that no LEO will report their peers who abuse their badges.
Instead of trying to calm the nation and show any empathy towards the injustices that Blacks have been enduring for decades, 45 decides to use racist dog-whistle rhetoric to make him seem like a tough guy. Peaceful protestors get tear-gassed and shot with rubber bullets so he can hold a Bible (upside down) in front of a church for a photo op. Again, it seems "Pharaoh's heart was hardened."
These feel like OT Biblical times, and I definitely feel like God is thumping Americans in the head. Here's a plague to keep you SIP.... now here's some killer hornets... Here's a short video of a Black man being run down and murdered. Do I have your attention yet? Now you can see 8-9 minutes of video footage of a Black man being killed, so you can no longer dismiss the racial injustices. It's a shame that we have to actually witness it before we believe our Black brothers and sisters, but so be it. Educate yourselves about how POC have been treated, especially Blacks. They and the Native Americans have taken the major brunt of the country's abuses. If you're Asian like me, realize that the "model minority myth" was likely a construct to keep POC prioritized so we'd resent each other. Understand that we have implicit racial biases that we all grew up with, and overcome it.
The worst part of all this is that my heart is hardening too... or maybe I'm feeling a bit of what Jesus felt when he overturned the merchant's tables at the temple. I feel so much frustration for Trump, his followers and especially the White Evangelicals who continue to support him. I feel like they are giving Christianity a bad name when they support his misogynistic, racist rhetoric. But I don't want this post to be about politics, I want it to be about love, justice and peace which I believe God calls for. Here is what I will try to do to unharden my heart:
- Continue to pray that the Nation and World leaders work for the people
- Learn more history about Native and Black Americans as I've mostly been taught Euro and Asian-American history
- Learn more about BLM and the other movements to correct the broken systems
- Learn more about the justice system at the local, state and federal levels... and vote for representatives who push for advances
- Continue to donate to the ACLU, churches and other organizations who advance racial and social justice
- Find other ways to advance and implement racial and social justice
Would you please join me? Feel free to reach out to me anytime :)
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