March 31, 2020
Dear Editor,
I don’t think anyone would disagree with the conclusion that the COVID-19 pandemic represents a transformative period in our lifetime that will forever change our collective thinking as a human race when it comes to our interpersonal relationships with friends, families, acquaintances, colleagues and co-workers.
My hope is that it changes that thinking in a positive way, because only then will this tragic time in our lives yield the proverbial silver lining. I have heard some comments by a few of our spiritual leaders that perhaps we were destined for this cruel wake-up call in order for each of us to reboot our inner selves: to refresh, start anew, re-evaluate and re-adjust our priorities, our focus, our goals and to soulfully examine where we are in our lives, where we’ve been, and where we’re going.
To me, the overriding lesson to be learned from this crisis is the fact that this pandemic, or any pandemic for that matter, knows no boundaries. It has no GPS to guide it toward or away from any particular country, nationality, ethnicity, religion, race, creed, political affiliation, socio-economic class or status. Instead, COVID-19 has killed thousands of people so far and is expected to increase according to projections but will hopefully level out as we continue to follow the CDC guidelines.
What I pray is that a natural bi-product of this re-boot will be the recognition by all of us that we all share this earth together and our admission to this world, along with our exit is beyond our control, and we can all benefit by rowing our boat in the same direction. There is no rational basis for hatred, bigotry, prejudice and intolerance of others based on such trivial characteristics as the color of our skin, the God we pray to, the clothing we wear, the culture and customs we are comfortable with, or the person we love or marry, or the gender we identify with. What matters is the nature and substance of our hearts and our souls, and how we can use this transformative time to reflect on our collective GPS for the roadmap ahead for each and every one of us.
Sincerely,
Arnold W. Drucker
Legislative District 16