We All Stood Still

A few days ago, I was sitting at a red light on my way to work. I was changing songs on my playlist when I glanced up at my rearview mirror. I saw the distinctive flashing lights of an ambulance behind me in the distance. I observed to see if it was going to turn at that intersection. When it drove through it, my light turned green. At that moment, I looked to my right and made eye contact with the woman in the van next to me. No words needed to be said. I looked around and saw that all the people who were at the intersection were on one accord. We all stood still. The ambulance was able to drive up and turn without any hinderances at all. Once it passed, we all continued on our way. Of course, this isn’t the first time this has happened to me in my life. But for some reason, this particular occurrence made me actually think. In that moment, complete strangers were all in unison. We understood that the ambulance getting to its destination was more important than anything we had going on at that particular moment. In a way, we came together for the greater good. Who knows, maybe us making that decision was the difference between life and death for the person in the ambulance.

It takes a common enemy at times to unite the people. Unfortunately, a lot of the time it involves death being in the equation. Right now, the world has slowed down and has come to a complete halt in certain parts. It’s because people are dying from the virus. Even though you may have a different opinion or theory in regards to the virus, the one thing that cannot be denied is that people are dying. These people may be strangers to you. To someone else, they may have been a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, son, daughter, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle, or friend. What’s really heartbreaking is that there is a select group of people who will not take things seriously because the tragedy has not hit close enough to home. I have seen this mindset throughout most of my life, “Since I have not experienced it directly, then it doesn’t exist.” This shows a lack of compassion towards your fellow man. Be selfless and think about others. 

The decisions you make have a ripple effect. Just like you don’t know who is in the back of that ambulance, you also do not know the harm you may cause just because you’re trying to live your life as usual. Even though you may be healthy, you could still bring the disease back to a family member. Now is the time to be cautious. This will pass before you know it and you’ll be able to return to your regular life. Even though you still have the green light in some areas, exercise caution and know when to come to a complete stop. It’s not about you. Someone’s life is in your hands. Treat them the same way that you would want them to treat you if it was your life was at risk. It’s only for a season.