COVID-19 has drastically changed all of our lives, that’s for sure. It is said that a person dies from this virus every 107 seconds now, at least in the United States. Taken globally, that statistic becomes alarmingly much higher. I feel incredible sadness over each of those losses, wondering why the Higher Power I have, whom I choose to refer to as God, has allowed such a pandemic to continue to ravage our planet.
I often wonder why God allows any terrible thing like this to occur. So many tragedies in life, each always making me question the benevolence of my Higher Power. Pondering things like this tends to make me question why I keep placing my faith in a Supreme Being. With each painful thing I personally have had to go through, I’ve consistently questioned why God would allow such pain and suffering if He or She was supposedly to be so unconditionally loving. I’ve never conclusively arrived at some epiphany surrounding this, and if anything, my doubt has only led to more questions and an imbalanced faith.
Regardless, every painful thing I’ve gone through in life has most definitely helped me to have far greater compassion for others going through something similar. Interestingly enough, compassion is a trait an addict never has much of when active in any addiction. Thankfully, being clean and sober and on the recovery path now, I’ve developed a far more compassionate heart, something I truly once was so very devoid of. It’s definitely why I have compassion for any of those who have died from COVID-19, for all their loved ones who have been left behind, and for anyone else who has been affected gravely in some other way because of this virus.
This pandemic’s tragic effects have been far-reaching even beyond its alarming death rate. It’s caused massive unemployment, increased addiction, estranged relationships, financial woes, domestic abuse, mental and emotional health issues, and more. I read recently that 1 in every 3 people are going to suffer from PTSD by the time a vaccine rolls out or by the time the virus has fully run its course. I just pray that God will help me remain open, non-judgmental, and compassionate for anyone who may experience any pain and suffering from this pandemic.
Maybe this is precisely why God allows things like this to happen on our planet, as human beings tend to sway towards a life of selfishness and self-centeredness, that is until something major hits them to help them to see otherwise. Maybe it’s things like this pandemic that God doesn’t prevent or stop, solely to help us move into a life of greater selflessness, compassion, and unconditional love?
Ultimately, I don’t know if there’s any truth to that of course, but maybe indeed, pain and suffering, like from this pandemic, is simply meant to help us learn to love our neighbor more, to be there more for each other, than just for ourselves. If by any chance that is true, that God hasn’t stopped this pandemic because it’s meant to help us love our neighbors more, I fear we may be failing on this quest, as I continue to see people more concerned about their own state of being, than anyone else’s, which makes me sad.
Nevertheless, I know the best I can do is just to keep loving without judgment and with compassion and to at least remind people of one thing I learned in my life long ago that I know to be true. Pain is indeed the touchstone of all spiritual growth and while this pandemic is most certainly painful on plenty of levels, it can help us all move into a Higher state of being if we let it. All we need to do is simply open our hearts a little more towards each other, because once we do, it’s quite possible we’ll not only conquer this virus, we’ll begin experiencing far more peace within ourselves as well.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
