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Act Now!

Act Now!

Last updated on: March 22, 2020 at 8:56 pm by Dan Peterson

Act Now! 2020-03-22T20:56:48-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The theatrical poster for “Independence Day” (1996), which I believe that I’m employing here in a manner that is compatible with principles of fair use.

I was so impressed by these two (somewhat lengthy) articles, and I regard them as so urgently important, that I’ve signed the accompanying petition and I’m citing them here again — and am sending them to my senators, my congressman, my state senator, my state representative, and my governor:

“Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now: Politicians, Community Leaders and Business Leaders: What Should You Do and When?”

“Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance: What the Next 18 Months Can Look Like, if Leaders Buy Us Time”

By way of stark contrast, see this article about a surprisingly large number of thoughtless fools who endanger themselves and, ultimately and even more significantly, put their families and others around them at much greater risk: “‘If I get corona, I get corona’: Coronavirus pandemic doesn’t slow spring breakers’ party.” I can’t help but think of that scene from the 1996 movie Independence Day, in which a large group of young morons party atop a tall building — probably in either New York or Los Angeles — to welcome the alien spaceship hovering above them, and who are promptly obliterated by a death ray from that spaceship. At least, though, they had the defense that they didn’t know that the aliens were lethal. The spring break partiers in Florida and elsewhere don’t have that excuse.

However, it’s not just the immature and unthinking who aren’t taking COVID-19 seriously and who are, thereby endangering the lives of others and themselves:

“Faith Over Fear? No, It’s Political Ideology that Keeps People Unafraid of COVID-19: Before the coronavirus hit, conservative Protestant churchgoers were least concerned about a future pandemic.”

I also like this article:

“Deregulate to Help the Private Sector Fight Coronavirus: Regulations stand in the way of a quick private-sector response to the coronavirus.”

And this one:

“Mitt Romney says U.S. should look to South Korea — not Italy — to stem coronavirus spread”

And, while we’re at it, how about these:

“Coronavirus Is the Chinese Government’s Curse Upon the World”

“Coronavirus Is More Fodder for Chinese Propaganda: The media’s obsession with proving Trump is racist because he calls it the ‘Chinese coronavirus’ is perfectly in sync with the Communists’ propaganda effort.”

“The Media’s China Syndrome: COVID-19’s latest symptom: Racist media accuse Trump of racism”

And this one, I think, is worthy of attention:

“Pandemic Federalism: Large parts of the nation’s response can be undertaken only by the states.”

It’s possible, of course — and, in the longer term, it’s extremely likely — that medical science will find a cure:

“The world’s fastest supercomputer identified chemicals that could stop coronavirus from spreading, a crucial step toward a treatment”

Perhaps, too, the weather will help us, at least in the northern hemisphere:

“New study says ‘high temperature and high relative humidity significantly reduce’ spread of COVID-19”

But let’s conclude on a really positive note. And this article even has a connection to Brigham Young University:

“How the Utah community and Taysom Hill stepped in to help a local business during the coronavirus pandemic”

I don’t know that the expression was peculiarly his, but I remember President Harold B. Lee saying, years ago, that the gospel is “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the [comfortable].” I harbor similar sentiments now with regard to COVID-19 — or, should I say, toward the Chinese coronavirus: We needn’t panic (yet), so the afflicted should take some comfort. But a great many who seem very comfortable right now really need to look at the numbers and the reality. Or things may get much, much worse.

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March 20, 2020

Free Market, Latter-day Saint, and Other Reactions to COVID-19

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March 21, 2020 Some resources for a Sunday at home

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