Social Distancing, Shelter in Place and Privilege

We have been at social distancing, sheltering in place, remote learning and remote working for a month, give or take. Tensions are running high, boredom is setting in and financial woes are lingering on the not too distant horizon. It feels like there is no escape. It’s enough to get on your last nerve.

Try to imagine what it is like to live with this all the time. Social distancing, sheltering in place, remote learning and working are gifts of the privileged. It assumes a place to live where social distancing is possible. Living in your car does not qualify. Sheltering in place also doesn’t work for the homeless living in shelters where guests need to be gone by 9:00 or so in the morning. Remote learning and working assumes access to the internet. One needs a credit card and a credit history for remote purchases and grocery delivery.

People are quick to criticize those who need food and rental assistance after a month without a job. I have heard that “these people” don’t know how to “save;” they “overspend” and “don’t budget.” The truth is that most Americans are no more than one or two paychecks away from financial disaster. There is no place in the United States where one can work a minimum wage job and afford rent as well as the normal costs of living. As a result, people often work two or three jobs and crowd into spaces meant for fewer people to decrease living expenses.

It is a snowball effect. Closer quarters mean increased infection rates of Covid-19. Poor healthcare access means more underlying conditions that are not well managed. Illness means missed time at one or more of their jobs where there is usually no sick pay. High absenteeism leads to job loss. This is the structural inequality of our country.

This is also the daily reality of millions of Americans before the Corona virus. Those who were vulnerable before this crisis will be vulnerable when it is over. That is, if they are not dead.

Add in the reality of systemic racism and you see death rates that are twice as high for people of color as they are for whites. The statistics don’t lie.

The Corona pandemic did not create this situation; rather it exposes it with stunning and troubling clarity.

We have an opportunity, and I would argue a moral imperative, to look with compassion on those who are struggling. Food insecurity, depleting savings (if there are any) and high unemployment means that sometimes those who are struggling are our neighbors, or even us. In our families and our circle of friends there is genuine hardship and difficulty. Perhaps for the first time, people we love are in the same boat with “those people.” It is our opportunity to see that “those people” are no different from most of us.

These days remind us in powerful ways that we are all interconnected. While listening to the Growing Edge podcast with Parker Palmer and Carrie Newcomer, I was reminded that the ancient gift of hospitality is one that we need to reclaim for this time.

The ancient history of hospitality had nothing to do with inviting people for cocktails and dinner. It was unrelated to using the best china and the sterling silver. It was, instead, a practice of making sure people were cared for, that those around them had what they needed. It was strongly motivated by the question of “When will I need hospitality extended to me?” The question was an acknowledgement that we all take our place in the chair of vulnerability from time to time. And when we do, we hope there will be someone who extends hospitality and care to us.

There are a lot of people in our world who are hoping we extend the ancient gift of hospitality to them. Food pantries are in desperate need of donations to meet increased demands. Schools that are trying to fill the gap in nutrition for students who depend on breakfast and lunch programs are delivering meals to those children. They could use your help. Homeless shelters are always full and soup kitchens are seeing increased need. Domestic violence is on the rise and your local domestic violence resource could use a donation.

Maybe this time can teach us the nature of interconnectedness and move us toward care for all, without judgement and without prejudice. After all, we could be in the chair of vulnerability.

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