Intro

Hi again from quarantine! This is the first of two installments containing a few of my thoughts about the COVID-19 crisis – both the disease itself, and the response to it. In this one, I’ll share things that are generally applicable, at all times, and in any sort of crisis. In the next installment, I’ll talk more specifically about my overall outlook specifically on COVID-19, risk management, and where I think we should go from here.

Love God

The most important thing we should do in this COVID-19 crisis, is the same most important thing we should always do: love God, and love People. I’ve recently seen significant criticism of people who prioritize their relationship with God. With all due respect, you critics are going to die soon, just like the rest of us. None of your worry about this life, or antagonism about God is going to prevent you from dying. If I’m wrong about God, it’s quite meaningless. The time I waste worshiping God is meaningless, and so is your criticism. However, if God exists, and we are actually eternal beings, COVID-19 is the very least of your problems. It pales in significance to missing this opportunity to know God, and receive life. That doesn’t mean it’s wise to cram lots of Christians in a small building, but it does mean our relationship with God is more important than this virus.

Love People

With respect to loving other people, there are two things I’ll focus on which are generally applicable, and all the more so during this crisis. It appears to me, many people are doing poorly on the first, but great on the second!

Respect Human Rights

First, loving others includes not violating their rights. Human rights don’t come from government; they are essential to being human, held by all living, individual, human beings, and exercised and/or stewarded by competent adults. God created the world this way and he did not generally permit us to violate the stewardship of other peoples’ rights. Whether you believe in God or not, respect for human rights is not optional. It’s mandatory for all individuals, groups, governments, etc. It should go without saying that this ideal is regularly violated, and moreso now. Of special importance today, a crisis is not a valid excuse to violate another person’s rights.

Viruses don’t have human rights. We are free to extinguish them as we see fit. Unfortunately, we haven’t learned how to extinguish this virus yet. However, human action is rightly prohibited when it is reasonably certain to violate the rights of another person. For example, taking something without the permission of its owner, or pulling the trigger of a loaded gun, while pointed at another innocent person, are likely to violate that person’s right to property or life, respectively.

But do we have any rights with respect to other people and viruses? I think so. I accept that placing someone else in a position of extraordinary risk without their informed consent violates their rights. A person who knows they’re contagious with a disease and exposes other people without informed consent, violates their bodily rights, in much the same way that a drunk driver violates the property and bodily rights of others. Those risks are extraordinary and any person may rightly stop those behaviors. Enforcing isolation (quarantine) for a person known to be contagious is the functional equivalent of taking the car keys away from a drunk person. They would otherwise be free to do as they see fit, but the extraordinary risk they pose violates the rights of others which allows for defensive intervention.

Note that it is only appropriate to use the minimum amount of force necessary to defend yourself or someone else in limited cases such as these. By contrast, forcing everyone to isolate without knowing if they’re contagious, drunk, going to drive, or be around other people, is not a defense of human rights, it is a violation of human rights. We should never violate human rights, and we should be even more careful to avoid doing so in a crisis! It appears to me that we’re failing on this.

Be Compassionate

The second part of loving others I want to highlight is compassion, which includes kindness, generosity, self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, and so on. While it is mandatory to refrain from violating others’ rights, compassion is not similarly mandatory. Compassion is not defensible by force. For a more detailed discussion, google negative rights, do some reading, and you’ll hopefully see why I say compassion is not morally enforceable. Nevertheless, compassion is a moral calling. We are right to do it ourselves, and to teach others to do likewise using voluntary means such as advocacy, example, and even non-coercive discipline.

In the second part of this series, I’ll highlight some specific ways we can be compassionate by reducing the normal level of risk for others and ourselves. There are also many other opportunities for compassion for those who are harmed by shutdowns, or the disease itself. Of special importance might be helping those who are sick but need medical care, basic necessities, and even simple comfort. We should always be compassionate, but we should be all the more compassionate in a crisis! Countless extraordinary examples of compassion from essential professionals risking their health to serve others, to friends, neighbors, and communities working together to help where help is needed, demonstrate great love for others. This crisis has brought out amazing compassion all over the world, which is highly commendable. Thank you for your compassionate love for others!

Don’t Be Anxious

There’s one more thing I’d like to leave you with that I hope will be helpful. I am not anxious or afraid, neither of the virus, nor the government, both of which are harmful, even deadly. It appears many of you are worried about this crisis, both the virus and the economic effects of the world being shut down. It seems the virus pandemic comes with an anxiety pandemic.

My lack of worry or anxiety is not because I naively assume I’m immune from illness or financial catastrophe. Rather, I know to depend on the very highest authority in times like these. The apostle Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Jesus himself said, ““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

As I pointed out earlier, I believe there’s more to life than this simple, limited-time, physical existence. If your view is that this life is all there is, COVID-19 may look very threatening, and I could understand it causing significant anxiety. But Jesus tells us we ought not worry, that God provides for us, and that he loves us.

Jesus didn’t say we wouldn’t get sick and die. Rather we should prioritize God and He meets our needs. We’re better equipped to enjoy this life, and only equipped to enjoy eternity, when we put God first. Prioritizing God first gives me peace during trials, and encouragement to love others by respecting their rights and being compassionate.

I’m thankful for all God has provided and will continue to provide. I pray for peace for myself and all of you, and for relief from this trial, as God sees fit. Most importantly, I pray you’ll coming to a place of loving God and love others.