A Little Perspective on COVID

Somewhere in the last few days I saw a short essay providing some perspective on the COVID pandemic. Certainly, beyond debate, people have suffered huge economic loss, and millions have died worldwide. COVID is bad inarguably.

But let's think for a moment. Has anything been this bad? On a pandemic level, those who lived through World War I and World War II might be able to mount a convincing argument that those were worse than COVID. As of 9 Dec there have been 1.56 million deaths from COVID. That's a LOT of lives lost. But the Jewish Holocaust had over 6 million Jewish victims. In WWI 20 million died and 21 million were injured. In WWII, 75 million lost their lives.

Of course COVID is not yet over, but with two vaccines on the horizon, perhaps the worst is behind us. And certainly the personal loss is not mitigated by the loss of others. So what?

The important "what" maybe our self-centeredness, or at least MY self-centeredness. I focus on me, myself, and I. MY suffering is the worst in the world. MY inconvenience is all that really matters. This pandemic, the one involving ME, is the worst of all time.

So, perspective helps. It doesn't cure COVID, it doesn't lessen the pain, but it does help us understand. Mankind has always suffered, and the suffering varies over time. Our own suffering is personal, but we are not alone in our suffering. Our suffering may be the worst we have experienced, but NOT the worst that mankind has experienced.

I am increasingly convinced that suffering is much more positive than we realize. I grow more in my relationship with G^d during suffering, than during pleasure. I pray more, meditate more, spend more time with a spiritual focus during suffering.

I know some folks might read this and be enraged. NO, I have not died, nor lost any loved ones due to COVID. But I have lost family and friends to OTHER things, and the distinction is of little relevance.

So, let us rest during these COVID days. G^d is sovereign, nothing happens apart from His knowledge. We can rest in Him, knowing that He has been G^d through events even worse than we are now experiencing.