RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Here is one of the winning entries for the RE Research Competition, ‘Imagining a Post-Covid Society’.
Last year, on the 23rd March 2020, the government first put into place the restrictions and rules that have become associated with lockdown. This was done in response to the growing threat that was Covid-19. Since then, we have been through many fluctuations and changes from a time where the restrictions were limited to a time in which schools had to close. I believe that if this last year has taught us anything it is that, within higher income countries, we should always be grateful for what we have and try our best to appreciate family and friends. Furthermore, many people (myself included) have seen a different side to humanity. The view that humans are nothing but a parasitic race has been proven wrong. In a time of strife we, for the most part, have helped one another get through these events. Various lockdown charities have helped and supported those who have struggled and lost their jobs. Organisations such as the Catholic church have used their resources to look after people who have been heavily hit by the pandemic, giving hope to those in need. I think that is truly admirable and should get recognition in a post-Covid world.
life as the incredible thing it is and how morally it is always going to be wrong to sacrifice one person to save hundreds. This is a much more deontological viewpoint that I (and many people I know) have shifted towards. In short, many people now have a renewed value for human life; in an ideal world we should all move towards this view. The Bible has many stories about helping others, such as the healing of the paralysed man (Luke 5 17:26): when there was no room left inside the house Jesus was staying in, the friends of the sick man were so desperate to heal him they climbed onto the roof and lowered him down in front of Jesus. This caused much anger, but Jesus understood and healed the man with the phrase “Son, your sins are forgiven.” This shows us the value and bonds of true friends and what we should be prepared to do for anyone in need; all of us are connected in God’s love and made in His image. We all have a close bond that should be respected and, no matter who someone is, helping them should take priority. In my ideal post-Covid world, most people would be 100% willing to help those in need no matter the time, place or inconvenience to their own lives.
ST BENEDICT’S
In terms of a discovered value to things, I think we should appreciate doctors, nurses, teachers and many more unsung heroes whose contributions have finally been truly understood. To quote Pope Francis: “We began to realize that our lives are interwoven with and sustained by ordinary people valiantly shaping the decisive events of our shared history.” No single person has saved us from this event but in fact a number of selfless, hardworking heroes who tirelessly work to keep the world running.
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The book ‘This is going to hurt’ gave me an insight into how people treated doctors 10 years ago. A particularly interesting quote is: “Patients don’t think of doctors as being human. It’s why they’re so quick to complain if we make a mistake or if we get cross. It’s why they bite our heads off when we finally call them into our over-running clinic room at 7pm, not thinking we have homes we’d rather be at.” I think this lockdown has made us understand the struggles of NHS workers, helped us understand that they are as human as us and we should be more appreciative of them. Proof of this understanding came in the form of the Thursday evenings on which people across the UK cheered for the doctors and nurses who sacrifice everything to help us. The millions of deaths that have been caused by the pandemic have made people realise that all life is worth saving. I once thought the solution was to continue things as they were and let the virus run its course. In fact, I now value
To quote Barack Obama, “Change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things”. I believe that if we all work together we could strive for a better world, where people are respected and where we want things to be better for all. Isaac Modha (U4G)
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We began to realize that our lives are interwoven with and sustained by ordinary people valiantly shaping the decisive events of our shared history.
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Pope Francis