If you need a bright side to this Covid 19 pandemic, we have it summarized. But before that, there’s a few things that need to be said.

It has been a crazy few weeks, with a lot of different emotions and information floating around the world.  Covid-19 has affected the human race. It has affected families involved, as well as those who are trying to avoid it.  It has led to a time in life most of us have never experienced. 

Today, all that is asked of the public is to stay home, keep a distance, and wash hands to avoid spreading the virus. Simple enough.

So, we teach our children and learn new math; we cook together as families. We bite our tongues to avoid an argument; we talk more. We play board games, organize closets, clean up back yards; since obviously we are spending more time back there.

Is it fear that is keeping us isolated, or is it respect for each other, and those who put themselves at risk to keep all our basic human needs intact.  

We don’t actually live in fear, we feel safe at home.

We thank everyone who has a hand in providing our basic necessities during this time; for continuing to put yourselves in danger, while most of us are safe at home. 

The unknowns outnumber anything we have ever dealt with.  How can there be a bright side to Covid 19?

Bright Side – External

Our basic necessities include food, water, electricity, the internet; the ability to call an ambulance and be treated at the hospital if anything happens. On social media, there are many posts naming the grocery store workers, truck drivers, technicians, and healthcare professionals as the most important factors in our lives. In many ways they have always been, but we just didn’t realize their worth until now.  

But along with these courageous people on the front lines, many companies and wealthy individuals are helping in ways they can. Some want to come up with anti viral medications to protect people in the future by donating millions to research. While others are cutting their own income to pay their employees while on quarantine. Many are donating money to help with food for communities, or providing necessary supplies to hospitals. 

Companies who may have not been considered essential a month ago have transformed their factories to produce masks, hospital gowns and even ventilators.  There are Fashion Designers researching fabrics and sewing masks.

Honeywell are making masks. Dyson was making ventilators. Ford is making clear shields and helping 3M redesign powered air-purifying respirators. These factories, in a matter of few days, have transformed their normal tasks, which may have been focused on luxury, to produce what is necessary TODAY, for survival.

Scary Side: Just read that out loud. Items necessary today, for survival = masks, protective gear, and ventilators.

Medicine is so incredibly expensive; according to this article, even with insurance it will costs thousands of dollars for treatment if infected with Covid 19. It is mind boggling that hospitals in the U.S. do not have enough supplies for their employees, or even beds for their patients.

There are a lot of unknowns, including why did this happen and how long will it last? Is this something we will fear in the future? Will a vaccine or new medicine, protect people? Will it have scary side effects that will not be obvious for a while? These are just the general questions.

How about questions focused on our individual lives? The expenses and necessities we all have to keep up with, while enjoying our time at home. What if our parents get sick, or we get sick? If we end up in the hospital, we will not be able to see our family. We will either get better, or die, alone.

Bright Side – Personal

Lets talk about the bright side to this pandemic, because yes, it does exist. Especially on an individual, self improvement level. More than ever, we can name many things to be thankful for.

In China, and California, the air is cleaner; in Italy, dolphins are swimming in the canal; even your own homes and yards may be getting cleaner. We are getting more sleep. We are spending more time with our families, cooking more, praying more and in many ways, stressing less.

Think about what you have come to appreciate, like teachers, for example.  As everyone is home-schooling children, the efforts necessary to get our little angels to learn are obvious. In a matter of days, these teachers have come up with lesson plans, physical and online, to support us in our home efforts. Thank you teachers.

Of course appreciation has sky rocketed for all medical workers who are on the front lines, putting themselves in danger.  In that same category are the industries that support the medial field. They may not be on the front lines, but they are necessary for smooth function.

How much more do you appreciate Facebook and social media?  You may have given it up for Lent, but in the past few weeks, how many of you have used it to attend Mass? You can virtually attend not only your parish mass, but any other church, in Lviv, Zarvanytsia, Canada, or Philadelphia from the comfort of your own homes.  This in itself is a very bright side.

Facebook is also giving normal people the ability to share information – the truth from the front lines.

There are many technologies available that make our lives easier and more interesting during this time. Zoom allows us to have video meetings with classrooms, or friends and family.  Many subscription websites and streaming services are offering free trials which are longer than usual.

Learning websites for children make it possible to learn in a fun way, while also recording time and progress.  In addition to these, there are free or discounted courses on Class Central, Coursera and other education sites.

Gyms are offering free video workout sessions, there are quite a few.

Through services like Grubhub and UberEats — local restaurants are offering free or discounted delivery so they can remain open through the pandemic.

Bright Side – Spiritual – an ideal situation for Lent. 

If you read our last post on the Paschal Mystery, it was focused on fighting temptation by not giving into human desires, pride and wealth.  If there is anything obvious about this pandemic, it is that many temptations have been literally removed from our lives.  

Wealth is not an identifier – it does not protect anyone from the virus.  Pride is not a feeling any of us feel right now, unless we are still blind to the dangers of Covid-19, most of us probably feel insecure and vulnerable.  

We are very lucky that we do not feel hunger, or have to live without basic human necessities, and we must pray but also follow quarantine instructions to avoid such consequences.

Our lives and the world, in general, have literally changed in a matter of weeks. Whether it changes for better or worse, is in our hands.  So to repeat the words of Pope Francis, let’s be personally committed to and involved in “the building of a better world.”

Our open schedules are giving us that time that was needed for family, prayer and self-improvement. 

Spring is here. You have time to plant a garden… add color to the world.

We will get through this by respecting each other, and above all, trusting God. He will calm the storm. 

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Matthew 8:23-27