Nature brought forth a
pandemic
Man brought forth
isolation
God will use them both to
teach us all
Virtual
(((hugs))) to all; prayers for those facing our pandemic first hand, for those
in stress, for those unemployed, and for our brave health care workers.
I
have just returned home to my state of Washington with my son, from his
university in the state of Oregon. We
are, at this moment, whirling in the pandemic crisis, and the Governor of each
state is faced with a monumental challenge.
Health officials are screaming about the rapidly spreading virus that
has no vaccine. If the virus is not
controlled, hospitals will be overrun, ventilators for the very sick will run
out, and health care workers will be in great danger. WA Gov. Inslee, my own, has been commended
nationwide (well, by all except for our President) for his quick, wise, and
well-thought out response to the crisis.
OR Gov. Brown was taking her time
in responding to the pandemic and getting pressure to take her cues from my own
Governor to her north. Tragically, she
followed the lead neither from her northern nor her southern neighbor, and in
order to prove she wasn’t “too little, too late,” she went “too much, too late,”
putting my son, other college students, and many other Oregonians into a different
type of danger.
Our
pandemic is not black and white. Not only
can we protect both our physical health and our mental health, we must. Mental health is key, both for itself and for
protection against the virus. Our immune systems depend upon our strong mental health.
Here
is the story as it came to me through my son, a college freshman. In order to spark a process of “social
distancing,” 2-3 weeks ago, many of our universities, including the one where I
teach and the one where my son attends college, shifted to all on-line
instruction. Given that, many students
chose to return to their families. My
son chose to stay. Roughly ten days ago,
students at these same institutions, including mine and my son’s, were told
that if they left their college campuses outside certain geographic perimeters,
they would be unable to return.
Between
those who had already left and those arranging to do so, my son estimated his
campus was dwindling to roughly 15% of its population. For him, neither choice was “good”; which was
better? Four of his friends were
staying, a few having to, due to travel restrictions to where their families
live. His little group of five teased
themselves as “The Remains,” a commentary on their vanishing campus. Together, they were going to the Dining
Commons for their take-out boxes, as required, and bringing them back to their
dorm where they ate and played games together.
Unlike our hometown where the pandemic had already hit, my son’s college
campus was safe from the virus, and he was at ease with his friends. He decided to stay.
A week ago, everything changed. My son and all the other students living on
campus received an e-mail on Monday evening from the university citing OR Gov.
Brown’s executive order and the solitary confinement for students on campus:
“In light of this executive order, students living on campus in
a residence hall or apartment are asked to to stay in their rooms as much
as possible. . . .We have been asked to close common areas and lounges
in the residence halls in order to abide by this order. In addition, all social or recreational gatherings of any size in
which people do not remain at least six feet apart is prohibited. . . .”
My son, a freshman, was crying and
shaking when he contacted us about this order into solitary confinement. We read the full e-mail and the order by Gov. Brown, and both were
chilling. By that time, we had already
heard the statement the same day by our own Governor, Gov. Inslee. Although they both
had issued orders on the same day, Gov. Brown’s and Gov. Inslee’s twin orders
were night and day different. Gov. Brown
was prohibiting neighbors into one another’s homes or even rooms; this included
college students, retirement home residents, and apartment dwellers who live
alone and whose “families” are those who live in the rooms next door. Gov. Brown has closed all of the parks and all
of the recreation facilities, including those for non-contact sports. She has ordered Oregonians into their own
homes, and is requiring distances of six feet from one another when folks go
out together for a stroll. She has
instituted fines of up to $1,250 and jail time up to 30 days for violations of
her order. Although police enforcement
of this order is unlikely, except for the especially irresponsible like the Florida megachurch pastor who held services in defiance of his state's order, peer pressure is an effective deterrent and clearly working on the very
sparse streets of Oregon.
Gov.
Inslee, by contrast, is encouraging the outdoors and says of non-contact
outdoor activities: "we consider these things essential activity too for everyone's physical and mental health." The sunshine, exercise, and Vitamin D all boost our immune systems. The science is clear: stress, fear, and mental health conditions compromise our immune system. For a college student, solitary confinement is
terrifying. Aren’t “The Remains”
family? I wondered. Shouldn’t they have the rights of family members?
As I heard my son’s voice shaking over the
phone and read the e-mail he received and Gov. Brown’s order, my chest was
burning. Burning hot. Everything in this mom wanted to race at that
moment, 8 pm at night, to drive straight to him, arrive at 2 in the morning,
and bring him back home. But the Holy
Spirit said, “My Child, I am with you and with your son, and I will walk you
through this. I will use you not only for your son, but also his friends, and
the other students on his campus, and even on campuses at other colleges in
Oregon. Hold still and follow My lead.”
Of
course, I did not sleep a wink that night.
My chest kept burning hot all night long and all the next day. But I trusted in the Spirit, and chose to
follow the lead. God had positioned me
perfectly to make a difference. My son
had not only chosen my own Alma Mater, he even chose a university where I
personally know the Provost, having, after I graduated, collaborated on a
project with her, when she was a professor.
I
was divinely placed to make a difference, and I knew a simple solution: define
the close friendships within the residence halls as “family” members. Family members can eat together, play games
together, and, in this moment when everyone is afraid, they can hug each other
and cry together. I prayed through it,
received encouragement from my friends on social media, one of whom suggested
the very solution I was already formulating, and then followed the Spirit’s
guidance to write the following letter (with names deleted) to the officials at
my son’s university:
“Warm wishes in precarious times to each of you, President [Last name], VP [Last name], and copy to the one I know
as [First name], Provost [Last name],
Along with the heavy hit of the pandemic, Gov. Brown's declaration is
another very heavy hit. This is especially true for college students, if
the relationships they have formed on campus are not considered
"family." I imagine you've already attempted to communicate
this truth to Gov. Brown.
My son called last night, not only clearly crying, but also clearly
shaking.
Unlike those of us who are in our homes with our families, college
students are at college with their friends who have become their
"family." The small group of five students of whom my son is a part
on the [Univ] campus calls themselves "The Remains." They are
"family" and should be given the rights of family members. This
should be the case for all of the students who need to stay on campus and who
have formed friendships with some of the students there.
In the coming days, we will be working out what we will do as a family
ourselves. [My son] made the wise decision to stay on the [Univ] campus
because he is safer there than he is in our own community.
His mental health, however, and that of all [Univ] students, is no
longer safe. We are trying to fight one "enemy" that is
attacking our physical bodies by creating another, which could be even worse,
that is attacking our mental health, particularly the mental health of our
youth.
At least one of my son's friend's family is out of the country, and
his ability to leave is unknown. Likely, the [Univ] campus has others like
him. Please consider the mental health of all of the students who must
remain on the [Univ] campus. One way to do so is to recognize the
friendships the students have formed while they are physically away from their
own "families" are now their "families," and please permit
them all the rights of family members.
Knowing what I know about [Univ], I imagine that you have already expressed this to Gov. Brown. Even in unprecedented, precarious times, these policies are entirely inconsistent with [Univ] principles. Please continue to advocate for the mental health of [Univ] students to Gov. Brown for a simple modification: friends of college students living on campus are family.
Thank you ever so much and warm wishes again,
[My name], [Univ] Alum
and Mother of a [Univ] '23 student”
My letter was warmly received and its outcome
encouraging. The Vice President of
Student Affairs reached out to my son, said meeting him was the highlight of
his challenging week, and invited me to personally meet him, which was both an
honor and a pleasure. He expressed
gratitude for my ideas, plans to work toward them, and is in contact with
officials at all of the other universities in Oregon, along with the Higher
Education specialists within the Oregon Health Authority, which is directing
Gov. Brown’s initiatives.
My son and I perceive that the e-mail he
received is the same or very similar to one sent to all students living on
college campuses throughout Oregon, that it was written by the Oregon Health
Authority, that it was given to Gov. Brown with very little time for her to read
it, and that Gov. Brown signed off on it without a careful review.
Although future readers who are not
living our current ordeal will be astonished that the Oregon Health Authority
ignored the well established science that compromised mental health also compromises our immune system, current readers get it.
From a spiritual standpoint, I also see a bigger picture. It is time to leave the World of
Commercialism, to enter into our “hiding places,” rediscover what really
matters in life, and to confront the Spirit of Fear. We can only have Victory over Fear if we face
it head on, and we are in the best position to do so, if we are in our “hiding
places” and listening within to our own whispers of mystery.
My post is double the size of my usual
ones, and I’m only now beginning to touch on the heart of my message. Psalm 91: 10-11 promises to we who find refuge in the Lord Most High, “no
evil will befall you, no plague will approach your tent. / For He will command
His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” In coming days, I’ll write more, but for now,
I’ll wrap up with the completion of the poem:
Nature brought forth a
pandemic
Man brought forth
isolation
God will use them both to
teach us all
We mystics know what few do:
The Divine Order
permits not a peril of Nature
so dangerous
that to fight it,
we must compromise our
mental well-being
Oh you of little faith,
says Jesus to his
disciples
when they cry out in a
heavy storm
with waves filling the
boat nearly full
while Jesus is sleeping in
its stern.
We are protected
We need not fear
But God will also teach us
from our fear
And as we retreat into our
homes and “hiding places”
we will discover, speaking
directly to us,
