MAY DAY OR M'AIDEZ ?
There has been talk of late, promoted by President Trump, of "re-opening" the country on the First of May. Actually, the lifting of restrictive policies will be done by states and localities, not by the president, but that is another matter. The battle going on over when to "re-open" is a tug-of-war between the scientists and the Wall Street gang. The business interests want to re-open sooner rather than later to get the economy back on track while the health experts warn against reopening too soon and risking an even greater wave of infections. So, the businessmen want May Day but the doctors warn of m'aidez.
The terms May Day and m'aidez are pronounced the same but have entirely different meanings. May Day is a festival time, a joyous celebration of new life as well as of working people. On the other hand, m'aidez is a signal of distress. It comes from the French verb "aider" which means to help. M'aidez is really a shortened version of the correct French grammar which is "aidez-moi" (help me). Nevertheless, m'aidez is now a standard international call of distress. Thus, business people now want the First of May to be a May Day while health experts warn this would be a m'aidez.
The statistics of the pandemic, as reported by Worldometer, continue to shock and terrify us. In the last week or so, the rate of growth had seemed to be slowing, but this was not true of the last two days. From April 14 to 16, 159,305 people in the world fell ill of the coronavirus. This is a rate of 8% rise, same as the previous two days. The death rate increased. In the world, 15,062 people died, for a rise of 12%. The previous two days had seen 10%. In America, the numbers are even more grim. In the past two days 57,175 people fell ill, for a rise of 10%, the same as the earlier two days. However, death figures spiked. Nearly 5,000 Americans died of the plague in the last two days for a percentage rise of 21. The earlier two day period had seen a 15% rise. It is alarming to see the death rate in the U.S. increasing.
The figures in the local states are equally alarming. In South Carolina, reported cases climbed by 217 to 3,656,a steady rate of rise. Meanwhile, 30 more people died for a big jump in the death rate. As reported, 107 people have died of the virus in SC. In Alabama, the disease is spreading even faster. In the last two days, 438 people were reported for a total of 4,241. There were 20 more deaths in AL for a total of 123. Louisiana has seen more than a thousand deaths.
In short, if these statistics of the past two days are accurate, the rate of spread of COVID-19 is accelerating.
As bad as the numbers are, they certainly would have been a lot worse if we had not employed the quarantine and stay-at-home policies put in place by state and local authorities. This must be considered before any decision is made about "re-opening" the country.
The question of re-opening boils down to prioritizing people or property. Which is more important? For us Christians, it is a no-brainer. People always come first because we are God's creation, made in God's own image. This is a choice between the lesser of two evils. If we err, it should be on the side of caution. We must go the last mile to save human lives. It is our calling.
There is no doubt about it. We are descending ever more into the darkness of the worst world and national crisis in 75 years. This is a frightening and terrible time but it is not a time to despair. When I get down, I look around at all the little lights of grace all around me and I cherish each one. How about my brother's church youth group who go and get groceries and pick up meds and deliver them to the elderly of their church? There is grace. How about the woman who put her car in line at the food give-away. When she reached the front, she handed the workers her $1,200 stimulus money. There is grace. How about my favorite supermarket that is paying its workers a $50/week bonus for the duration. There is grace. I am sure you can add a list of acts of grace that you see too. Amazing grace will see us through.
Back to our original point, May Day or m'aidez. We all want life to get back to "normal." We all want this to go away. It would be wonderful if we could count on re-opening on the First of May. However, the reality is that things are not going back to normal for the foreseeable future. The plague is not going away. We must be careful and wise about re-opening places. The health experts who know what they are talking about should be our guides on when and how we should go about this. In spite of the failures and chaos in Washington, the scientists have done a good job so far. They should be left alone to continue.
Remember, we are here for the living of this hour. Peace.
The terms May Day and m'aidez are pronounced the same but have entirely different meanings. May Day is a festival time, a joyous celebration of new life as well as of working people. On the other hand, m'aidez is a signal of distress. It comes from the French verb "aider" which means to help. M'aidez is really a shortened version of the correct French grammar which is "aidez-moi" (help me). Nevertheless, m'aidez is now a standard international call of distress. Thus, business people now want the First of May to be a May Day while health experts warn this would be a m'aidez.
The statistics of the pandemic, as reported by Worldometer, continue to shock and terrify us. In the last week or so, the rate of growth had seemed to be slowing, but this was not true of the last two days. From April 14 to 16, 159,305 people in the world fell ill of the coronavirus. This is a rate of 8% rise, same as the previous two days. The death rate increased. In the world, 15,062 people died, for a rise of 12%. The previous two days had seen 10%. In America, the numbers are even more grim. In the past two days 57,175 people fell ill, for a rise of 10%, the same as the earlier two days. However, death figures spiked. Nearly 5,000 Americans died of the plague in the last two days for a percentage rise of 21. The earlier two day period had seen a 15% rise. It is alarming to see the death rate in the U.S. increasing.
The figures in the local states are equally alarming. In South Carolina, reported cases climbed by 217 to 3,656,a steady rate of rise. Meanwhile, 30 more people died for a big jump in the death rate. As reported, 107 people have died of the virus in SC. In Alabama, the disease is spreading even faster. In the last two days, 438 people were reported for a total of 4,241. There were 20 more deaths in AL for a total of 123. Louisiana has seen more than a thousand deaths.
In short, if these statistics of the past two days are accurate, the rate of spread of COVID-19 is accelerating.
As bad as the numbers are, they certainly would have been a lot worse if we had not employed the quarantine and stay-at-home policies put in place by state and local authorities. This must be considered before any decision is made about "re-opening" the country.
The question of re-opening boils down to prioritizing people or property. Which is more important? For us Christians, it is a no-brainer. People always come first because we are God's creation, made in God's own image. This is a choice between the lesser of two evils. If we err, it should be on the side of caution. We must go the last mile to save human lives. It is our calling.
There is no doubt about it. We are descending ever more into the darkness of the worst world and national crisis in 75 years. This is a frightening and terrible time but it is not a time to despair. When I get down, I look around at all the little lights of grace all around me and I cherish each one. How about my brother's church youth group who go and get groceries and pick up meds and deliver them to the elderly of their church? There is grace. How about the woman who put her car in line at the food give-away. When she reached the front, she handed the workers her $1,200 stimulus money. There is grace. How about my favorite supermarket that is paying its workers a $50/week bonus for the duration. There is grace. I am sure you can add a list of acts of grace that you see too. Amazing grace will see us through.
Back to our original point, May Day or m'aidez. We all want life to get back to "normal." We all want this to go away. It would be wonderful if we could count on re-opening on the First of May. However, the reality is that things are not going back to normal for the foreseeable future. The plague is not going away. We must be careful and wise about re-opening places. The health experts who know what they are talking about should be our guides on when and how we should go about this. In spite of the failures and chaos in Washington, the scientists have done a good job so far. They should be left alone to continue.
Remember, we are here for the living of this hour. Peace.
