EDITORIAL

We Cannot Escape Our Own Mortality

Posted

Just as the nation began reopening sectors of civic life, cases of COVID-19 surged exponentially. Notwithstanding the few places decreasing in numbers, no government has yet provided the long-awaited panacea. Thus, given the human mind’s propensity to seek causality in nature, many proffer their own j’accuse. How could cases rise when we did so much to prevent them?
For some, the blame rests with political parties on either side. Others curse non-compliant youth who forego masks and social distancing. Still others blame their own family members for venturing out of their homes. Undoubtedly, causality is tricky to deduce monolithically. A variety of factors contribute to the present events. But as much as we collectively wish to discover the root of the problem, we are not omniscient. We are not God. The pandemic has revealed our inability to control everything. That should make us stop and consider what it means to be human: a creature, not the Creator.
We may succeed in decreasing transmissibility of the disease; and, should this occur, we should rejoice that we have achieved such an admirable goal. But no vaccine will erase disease completely. Man cannot escape his own mortality. As much as we would prefer to avoid it, suffering is inevitable for finite creatures. Instead of cowering in the face of it, the Christian tradition provides something greater. The Christian places his hope in the Savior of the world, who did not escape suffering and death. Taking it on His own shoulders, he redeemed it, and us.