by Asha Z. Hagood
If we listen, I think we’re being invited to meditate on our connectedness. Study the ways that we’re symbiotic. And rectify the deficiencies in our codependent relationships. Jordan Peele’s US presented each of us as tethered to a deprived (depraved?) counterpart. Current movies Parasite and The Platform both present us stacked on top of one another, accentuating the need for the the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ dwellers to keep their humanity in tact.
God, Creator of everything real and imagined, has introduced this plot twist into our lives–COVID 19. In this production there are many players. Blue collar essential workers, who are suddenly glorified and venerated as integral cogs in the-wheel-of-everything (when all along their cries for a living wage has fallen on deaf ears). White collar essential workers, doctors and health care providers. Black people, who find themselves uniquely predisposed–caught between the rock of this fearsome virus and the hard-place of their preexisting conditions. I first thought of the virus as a great equalizer but alas, even the weight of it is not evenly distributed.
Everything could go on relatively unchanged. After this jarring moment dissolves into a sense of normalcy, the world could return to business-as-usual. The sense of community and philanthropy that has emerged could evaporate, the health care industry could continue to ignore the disparities present in their care delivery, red-tape and bureaucracy could muck up the gears of any progressive machinery that actually centered on wellness and wholeness for all.
But of course it shouldn’t. If you’re paying attention I think you’d see that the old way is not sustainable. Reflect on this statement from Tupac Amaru Shakur:
“I see the ground is the symbol for the poor people; the poor people is gonna open up this whole world and swallow up the rich people…”.
This discomfort were all feeling seems all encompassing, the ultimate trial, surely nothing could eclipse this hardship right? Maybe. And maybe there could be darker moments ahead if we don’t rise to the challenge with an eye towards a more equitable future for all. Maybe this is just the prelude to the ground swell and erupting chasm that Tupac talked about.
But we have a chance. Lets all pay attention and insist on fundamental shifts. Because if we’re paying attention, the message is this: the alternative, turning a blind eye to the least of these, propping up capitalism and enabling the status quo will yield horrific results.
This is a test. Let’s choose to pass. I know we can.
life on tuesday 