Who is to blame for Covid-19?
There is a lot of blaming
going on at the moment. The blame started early and is getting louder and
louder. Political leaders everywhere are getting the blame. While some
strategies seem to have worked better than others the simple truth is that no
political leader is to blame. Some are blaming scientists or The World Health
Organisation but that is neither fair nor right. It’s not the fault of the
left, the right, the media or whoever we don’t really like.
At least one country has been
blamed because they were the first to record cases of the disease. This blame
is unfounded, unhelpful and more than a little racist. Conspiracy theorists too
have been blamed, everyone from warfare laboratories to the 5G phone network,
but again this blame is not founded on a shred of evidence.
Locally some blame either a
security guard, someone hosting a party or a ‘super spreader’, but in reality,
the virus is most often spread accidentally by people who are A-symptomatic.
Most of us have broken social distancing guidelines, forgotten to wash our
hands, touched our faces or mistakenly shaken another person’s hand. So, who’s
fault is it?
I am pleasantly surprised
that few people are blaming God. It is hard to blame God when you don’t believe
in him. However, without a belief in God often humans convince themselves that
they are gods. Belief in God remains a matter of faith. Belief that humans are
gods is just plain foolishness.
So…here is a radical thought.
There is no one to blame. Covid is a virus. Viruses play a part in the natural
world. We don’t know why or how Covid-19 developed and at the moment we can’t
stop this very contagious disease.
Humans don’t like admitting
that we have limits. We live in this amazing system, seemingly the one unique
planet that sustains life. Life is complicated, diverse, awesome but not always
safe. Some life depends on other life. We eat animals and at times they try to
eat us. Viruses, bacteria, worms and all manner of other things live on and in
us.
Humans are blessed to live on
this earth. But we are not gods. We control so much, but we are not
all-powerful. We are finite. We die. We are part of something much greater which we will never
completely control.
A few months into our journey
with Covid it’s time we settle the blame game. We are not to blame. It’s
important for us to do our best. Cooperation, humility, research, ingenuity,
and creativity are essential to rediscover a way to exist within nature. Prayer
might make a comeback. Patience is important.
Let’s bury the blame game and
use that energy to work out how to live with this virus until someone comes up
with a better plan.
Before
a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honour. Proverbs 18: 12
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