Just in the last few days, we've had the life of a black man aborted by a police officer, with three others idly standing by; we've had a white woman threaten to call the cops on a black man who simply told her she needed to put her dog on a leash; we've had a teen go missing for a day, much to the worry of his parents, friends, and church community (myself included); and while this last one is retroactive to Sunday, on the same evening that teen declared missing returned home, I learned that the mayor of Chicago attempted to forcibly shut down a church service meeting that at that point was meeting lawfully.
On Facebook I awoke out of my posting slumber to post on three of the four topics (the one I didn't was the incident with the white woman threatening to call the police on the black man holding her accountable). I've gotten pretty much either all supportive comments, or angry comments that were in agreement with what I had posted. But on one of the posting threads, two contacts of mine posted comments that disagreed with one another, with the second person directly addressing the first.
My thought when I first saw that was: "it has begun."
The thing is, "it began" a while ago. Where and when, I cannot pinpoint. I can try, and certainly many people I know will try their hand and declare a certain point or another where "it began."
Are we in the End Times now? Or are we nearing it? Or, are we just going through a phase that will lead to another number of years of relative peace (or lack of tension, anyway), which will sometime later give way to the End Times, like well after I live a full-length life (assuming I do, anyway) and then pass away?
Lest we forget, COVID-19 is still going on. Sure, sheltering-in-place restrictions are either easing or ceasing altogether, but the threat is not gone. 100 years ago, our country was shaken by the flu pandemic, and that lasted 2 or 3 years. It had a first wave, a second wave, and finally a third wave. It's summer now, but I've conditioned myself to expect that, come September, it will return with a vengeance. If not sooner. Maybe as soon as June.
I'm only 35. I'm not pregnant. As such, if I catch it, I'm unlikely to get very sick. (Praise God.) But, I spend time with people who are at risk. So I'm aware of my responsibility 1.) to not catch it, and 2.) to stay home and let the virus run its course so I can be well for those at risk that are my responsibility.
We've been in this reality for more than 2 months now. Suffice to say, we're kind of used to it. (I think.) Now, just this week, events have happened that have jolted us out of this newfound complacency that has come with becoming accustomed to staying home, wearing masks, and staying 6 feet (or more) away from others. And with injustices of different kinds happening, I am beginning to see more and more tension. It seems that it's not so much with those with differing beliefs who have been clashing all along. I think it's going to include people that maybe haven't opined as much, and all of a sudden discover contacts -- friends, family, whoever -- that weren't who they thought they were. And vice versa. It seems we're in this phase now where we're only going to become more divided.
My circles of people I care about have representatives from both sides of the political aisle. These days it seems "damned if you do, damned if you don't" regarding where I end up standing. I could stand anywhere, and someone I know (and potentially care about) will find a reason to hate me. I would be sad, 1.) that something about their character previously unseen would be now revealed to me; and 2.) that character might lead to a choice that they or I (more likely they) might make regarding the future of our connection.
Do people's hearts have to grow cold? Do brothers (or sisters) have to choose to be separated, and do parents and children have to choose to hate each other?
Does this really have to be the world we live in?
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