- Let’s live with the reality that Christianity is not about dos and don’ts but faith in Jesus Christ.
- And parenting is the sole responsibility of parents and not teachers.
Three months ago, the sun set across the whole globe. When the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus a pandemic sending the whole globe into a tailspin, life was disrupted. In just a few short months life has changed drastically and as much as we are eagerly awaiting the return to normalcy, we cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.
It will be imprudent for us to go back to the way things were before Covid-19. As a matter of fact, nothing should go back to normal.
Take for instance places of worship. Africans, for instance, have had to learn that they can live without observing a set day of worship. We practically live in places of worship on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But now we realise that worship is not a routine adherence to days of worship and a performance of religious deeds and acts like partaking of the sacrament, joint prayers or offering tithe.
Worship is loving the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, and loving your neighbour as yourself. “For all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments,” said Jesus Christ. This, if you asked me as a practising Christian, is true worship. Let’s live with the reality that Christianity is not about dos and don’ts but faith in Jesus Christ.
We have learnt that work can actually go on, for a vast majority, from home. I achieve a lot more when I work at home than at the office. Covid-19 has taught the whole world that you can be just as productive at home as at your office, especially for those of us involved in information management and technology.
A lot of activities have moved online and globally; one can shop, transact, hold meetings and connect with others online from the comfort of their homes. The need for physical meetings and interactions is being reduced to a household affair. My hope is that employers would begin to gauge their employees based on delivery of set goal and not physical appearance at the office and number of hours worked through clocking-in systems.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea if the world, going forward, set aside a day, a week or even a month when everything comes to a standstill to give people and the earth rest?
One lesson the whole world has had to learn the hard way is that parenting is the sole responsibility of parents and not teachers. With schools closed so we could self-isolate at home, parents have had to take a lead role in the raising of their children.
Some have done a good job but others have found it a challenge and cannot wait for the world to reopen and to send their children back to school. The reality check is that the family is the first and most important place where a child is to be raised. Parents should open their eyes to this reality and henceforth take an active interest in the raising of their children.
Last but not least, Covid-19 has reminded us that the world too needs rest. In Christian circles we talk of Jubilee—the 50th year when the land is not to be tilled but is allowed to rest. In the work context we have concepts such as sabbatical and annual leave when one takes time off to just rest and rejuvenate.
The pressures of this world had become too heavy for many and the Earth and God in His wisdom thought of sending everyone to some sort of a sabbatical, a jubilee—much more than the 21 days given to majority of workers.
Our bodies need rest. Our land needs rest. The world needed rest and Covid-19 has allowed us and the whole world to have enough rest. The restrictions on travel have greatly helped the world to refresh due to reduced emissions and pollution.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea if the world, going forward, set aside a day, a week or even a month when everything comes to a standstill to give people and the earth rest?