It takes a lot for me to get angry. Most of my friends can probably tell you the number of times I've actually gotten mad at them. It's rare, and for some of them, I haven't yet. This blog is different than probably anything I've ever written. I usually start with some witty quote from a book or article that I've read that strikes a chord in my soul. This week, though, I am going pretty stream of consciousness because I am angry and do not want to mince words.
Love God. Love Your Neighbor. Cling To Jesus.
I'm angry because I'm tired, tired of watching the people I love stand by and not care. I'm tired of watching family and friends act like freedom is the only important aspect of life and that they're being infringed upon if they have to wear another article of clothing when simply asked. I'm tired of watching people that I know die. I have an intense frustration with the American Christian community and its inability to look beyond itself for one solitary moment to recognize that maybe just maybe, the world is bigger than crackpot tyranny plots and evil vaccines.
I'm tired of watching people believe lies. Good people, intelligent people are being deceived or choosing to fall prey to their own biases and claiming that “research” is what gave them these answers. When all of the research in the world is telling them the way to safety, they scrounge the depths to feed their feelings and desires. Wikipedia is not research. I'm tired of seeing intelligent people who have given their lives to help people understand the truth of this pandemic, experts, thrown to the side because of political notions. For instance, if you cannot tell me what a "p-value" is right now without googling it, then you probably have no idea what the statistics and studies are saying and shouldn't be talking like you do. It's exhausting to see a world of people think they're experts because they've got a hunk of metal in their pocket and an internet connection. I do not claim to be an expert, we do not have to be, but we must be willing to trust others.
More than all of this, I'm tired because I see children impacted now, and I see the vulnerable thrown to the wayside in favor of political machismo and false fear that has little to no basis in reality. Part of this is because of myself. I see people rationalizing death away by saying people have comorbidities like their lives were not worth saving. To bring it close to home, if I died of COVID, I would be one of those people with a comorbidity, shuffled to the side by some, weaponized in the culture war. They may not know that, but I do, and it hurts. So I am angry. I don’t think I am going to die of the virus, but who does?
I am angry that people who claim we should respect police at all costs won't respect their pastor or grocery store owner or doctor for politely asking them to wear a mask. I'm angry that people use sketchy stats to rationalize their vaccine denial instead of trusting medical experts and frontline workers. If 9/10 frontline workers are saying we're in a crisis, it may be that the one isn't to be trusted. Swimming against the stream does not equate to a life of truth. I've watched friends enter the frontlines to see horrors. I've watched friends come to their end. I've watched friends say this is all a hoax. I've watched friends pray for God to send a miracle when there is one at our disposal. I've watched friends be lied to about our reality. I've watched friends lie to others for their gain. I'm tired of watching.
I'm so tired of Christians choosing to be people of death over people of life, and I don't know how to tell them that they should care about people, but this is me trying.