By Ron Baker
COVID, with restrictions, advice and overreach in these last two years has made life draining and unfulfilling. Two words are now arising with great force.
Wary and weary! Let me illustrate from my world – the world of the church.
This past week I officiated a funeral. Bill Wardill was a familiar personality in the Eatonia area – former mayor, post master, authour, gardener and much more. Social Media and other internet sources showed a large outpouring of condolences.
The in-person memorial service was held on a Friday afternoon, late enough that people could take a few hours off work to attend. Up until the actual funeral there was no certain indication of how many people would show up. The turnout was not as large as had been anticipated. But for those who attended there was overwhelming joy at seeing each other balanced with the sorrow of the death of a loved one.
Two reactions became prominent in the reception chatter afterwards. Some people did not attend because they were wary of possible close contact with a virus-carrying person. Some wore masks to mitigate this possibility. Others chose to remain at work and to find other avenues of exploring the funeral afterwards.
On the other hand were those for whom two years of non-contact had worn them out. They were weary. How long will this go on? Was death a sufficient deterrent to life?
Now, come with me to two church foyers that I have visited in this last week. While there is no longer posted on the door a sign requiring masks, one church kept posters that talked of holding to precautions for personal safety as well as for the protection of others. The other church foyer displayed new upcoming events while no mention or illustration of the pandemic was in sight.
How do we look at each other right now? Can we accept that some are wary and others are weary? Can we live with each other?
The great test of a society is the ability to integrate and enjoy others. I appreciate our society’s emphasis on inclusivity while living with diversity. Too often this has only been emphasized along the lines of race or gender.
I guess I’m a little more simple than that. I dig into understanding inclusivity and diversity on the individual level. When I lead a funeral, I talk about the loved one being unique. Perhaps its my archival background, but when I inventory a person’s archival documents the documents are unique to that person. When you read enough, listen to enough, see enough of an individual’s life, their uniqueness emphasizes how diverse our world is.
And the question arises – if we cannot accept each individual’s wariness or weariness we are destined for strife, dissension and possible war. Get over yourself and let other people in!
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
