Day 12 - No Poetry This Day - Just Thoughts to share...

Today is Easter Sunday. the day Christians celebrate as the day Jesus rose from the dead. But sadly, there are a lot of people all over the world— hundreds and thousands—who won’t be rising from the dead any time soon.

I awoke, as is my daily custom, and turned on NPR radio this morning (My plan was to join a streaming Easter service at 10 AM so I had some down time.) And I landed in the middle of a conversation with governors’ staffs from several states and other interviewees - about the frantic bidding war that is going on between states, between governments federal and state, for life-saving equipment that is needed to save human lives.

What has become of our world? What low level of concern for others have we sunk to, in this troubled time? Orders are being place, confirmed and then pulled back and supplies sent elsewhere, in order to get a higher price. A bidding war. Many bidding wars. Over life and death equipment, over ultimately, thousands of lives.

And it felt so ironic this day— the day so many in the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ, many who supposedly live by His teachings —to find humanity profiting off a deadly virus that is not selective about who it attacks— manufacturers, big business owners… literally taking advantage of a situation so dire that it’s hard on some days to believe that it’s happening.

This is not intended to be a political rant. Right now I wouldn’t care who was President, who was making decisions… if he/she were making decisions on behalf of the millions of people it is their responsibility to govern and serve. But somehow at the bottom of all this, I feel a muddy sludge of private interests.

This is not a fun time for anyone’s bank account, for any business that is trying to survive. (Of course there are some folks out there who don’t have bank accounts. You with declining balance think you have it bad?) But the rules that govern “business” … that govern a Democratic Capitalistic society… shouldn’t they be examined just a bit in times like these? Shouldn’t there be some agreement like: Here’s what EVERY customer in the country will pay for a ventilator. Here’s what EVERY customer in the country will pay for protective gear, for masks. And we’ll make as much of it as fast as we can. THEN we’ll go back to making what we normally make.

Isn’t that what the “wartime” agreement the President is asked about every day at his press conferences (those gatherings that are replacing election rallies at the moment) — it’s time to step in and place valor before profit— IF we are all children of God, wouldn’t God like his children to treat each other with love? To value lives over profit margins?

There are a number of good people, brilliant business men, wealthy private individuals who have stepped in to help, by donating milions of dollars for purchasing of needed equipment But it takes all of us - it takes our government, it takes each one of us as individuals…to get through this. We have to support each other, take care of those in need, put profits aside for a few minjutes — or a few months— and stop profiting at ALL levels, from this horrible truth we are living with at the moment.