Taking a Different View with a Grain of Smelling Salts
This just came across my feed, and I have the writer’s permission to reshare. It is an eloquent statement about current events and a Christian response. It accurately reflects some of my own sentiments.
The author is Kristianna Nye. I have been a good human and not edited the comments.
I do not usually raise my voice on Facebook, but given all that is going on, someone has to say something.
Before I begin, I would like to make a few qualifications. I am a University student under the major of Digital Media-Recording Arts. I am also taking a Mass Media and Society course this semester, so I at least have an idea of how mass media influences society.
I love my University. It has become a second home for me. A place for me to grow Spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. I am very happy with the time that I have spent on campus, and I would not trade it for the world.
Unfortunately, I am one of hundreds, if not thousands, of college students who will go online for classes and leaving campus because of COVID-19, also known as the 2019 Coronavirus. Granted, leaving or staying on campus was a choice of the students of my University to make. However, there are so many others who may not have had that choice to stay or leave.
To date, my campus does not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19. However, the county my campus is in has two presumed positive cases of COVID-19. The next county over from the county I am at has 20 cases of COVID-19.
Last night was one of the last nights for a while that my friends, who I consider as another family to me, could gather together to hang out. We all handled the news in different ways, but we just spent time watching a film, talking and laughing. Today, campus is very different and close to being empty. Very few people showed up during the first of the two meal times today. I don’t know how other college students feel about their classes being suspended, but I am confident that I am not the only one with the emotions that I have. I am angry, saddened, and disappointed by this. I am by no means angry with the University for taking the steps they did. The knowledge of being in a hot spot for COVID-19 gives understanding to the severity of the situation. However, I am angry at how willing we are to cave into fear and how we believe what we are told by the media without doing further research.
Because of all that is going on, it is an interesting time to be a Digital Media student. There were times where anxiousness came over me because of not knowing what will happen to our seated courses when the announcement was made. However, God is for us, never against us. If He can watch over the animals and provide manna for the Israelites, then will He not do the same for us?
The media has not helped with the matter. If anything, the media has propagated mass hysteria to the point where in grocery stores, toilet paper is out and limits on how much toilet paper is allowed to be purchased at one time. When have we begun to allow ourselves to be controlled by fear? Is fear not of the enemy? Does fear not enslave us?
To the American people, STOP LIVING IN FEAR!!! The media helps propagate fear for COVID-19, other political parties and so much more. Depending on which leaning a news station has, the coverage of COVID-19 has been varied, potentially because of it being an election year (this I learned in my class).
Fear enslaves us to the point where we lose ourselves in the process. Yet, as Christians, we have Hope and freedom through the victory of Christ’s death on the Cross. Therefore, in a world that is now topsy-turvy because of mass hysteria, we must trust that God is with us all through this and that He has not abandoned nor forsaken us and that His Word is true.
I am not in any ways implying that we should be nonchalant about COVID-19. We should be concerned, but the extent of that has gone too far. Someone needs to speak out.
Therefore I implore all people to stop living in fear of COVID-19. Even though the world seems dark and scary, the Light is still piercing through the darkness, allowing it to shine. Stop relying on social media to get news and form a nuanced opinion from reading articles with different viewpoints, and do not just read the headings. The media propagates an “us vs. them” view of the world, and that is not healthy. You may not agree with everything you may come across, and that is okay. However, there are several sides to a report that will be missing. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that all sides are looked at to develop an opinion. I also plead that people show a spirit of courage in the face of COVID-19 and to stop worrying and being anxious. It is okay to stock up on supplies if there is a chance of quarantine. In fact, it is wise to do that. However, it has reached a point that I have never seen and/or expected to see in my life. People are acting out of fear, which is not okay. We should be concerned, but absolutely NOT to this extreme. Use common sense. If you are sick, do not go anywhere. Travel has absolutely done NOTHING to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Check up on the elderly and those who have compromised immune systems, because they are at a greater risk of death because of COVID-19.
In closing, the situation could get worse. However, God is still on the throne, despite the insanity that is occurring in the world today. Christ told His Apostles and Us through Scripture that He is with us always until the end of the age and that He has overcome the world. Therefore, we are not alone and never will be.
As I will continue to prepare for my journey home, I am absolutely going to miss campus. I will be back when the University officials say that we are cleared to return to seated courses. Until then, I will choose to not be afraid. That is easier said than done. However, this world is broken and needs the Light of Christ to shine through the darkness. Therefore, let all Christians bear Christ’s light in this time of fear, for the victory is won.
