I have Covid. Bring it! (2)
Even now, as the Secular Perspective rolls across the land, snapping at the heels of Christianity, Islam & more; the wonders of the unknown await us yet.
Saturday, May 7th, 2022
Dear Freedom Friends,
So, yes. At long last, I’ve got Covid. Symptoms set in on Monday. Mostly, I’ve been tired with mild cold symptoms scattered here and there. No, I’ve not participated in the Covid injection experiments. I do, however, take one Hydroxychloroquine pill each week, and when a friend of ours came down sick all of a sudden (after visiting quite frequently), I increased the dosage to daily. I also temporarily increased my daily supplements: Zinc from 30mg to 60mg, D from 5,000 IUs to 10,000 IUs and I tripled my Quercetin. Four to six days after spending time with our friend (during his pre-symptomatic stage), my symptoms began. On par with the many interesting Covid Stories out there, our friend (and his father, sister and sister’s boyfriend) all ended up testing negative for Covid (all while being clearly in the thick of whatever ailed them), but my son and I both tested positive multiple times and our new housemate, as well. So, perhaps we picked up Covid elsewhere? Either way, it’s a relief to finally have confirmed natural immunity.
I’ve not been sick for 31 months (yes, 2.5 years). So, it’s also been a particular pleasure to feel my body move so smoothly and efficiently through the process of defending my integrity while managing an unwanted foreign entity. There is a daily sense of amazement at the miraculous abilities of my body, as it creates a vast and complex “immune memory” of this virus. What exactly it remembers, what exactly will trigger that memory, and what enables my body to do such a wondrous thing — is and will forever remain partially obscured by gaps in our knowledge that will never be filled. Some mysteries, no matter how often observed, hide their full and complete nature against our best efforts at “control.” For what else is the human purpose of “knowing” than the hope to control?
At the time of this writing, I feel good and am recovering. I do not take this for granted. Not all meet with this virus under similar circumstances or with equally successful results. What I do know is this: by engaging with my environment, as God or Mother Nature intended, I allowed the wisdom of my body (which is yet beyond the full comprehension of the human species) to express itself, and while I have experienced a risk, I have also been strengthened for the life ahead.
Which brings me to the subject of this week’s Bring It! (2) substack:
- Strength
- Faith
- and Unknowing
Strength Matters
Forgive me if I sound cavalier — I am not — but it needs to be said that while the “Covid Experience” has been a challenge for the world, embedded within that challenge is an invitation to grow. Each of us has been offered an opportunity, however painfully presented, to experience the changing effects of life’s up and downs. What could be more normal? Or more precious? A life that simply goes on, without highs to celebrate or lows to mourn, is all well and good, but one would not write a novel or make a movie about such a life. We pay good money and spend vast amounts of time observing the trials and tribulations of others — and for good reason. There is value to be found in those prickly thorn bushes, as skin is pierced, hearts are broken and blood is spilled. Perhaps even, the reason for our lives, is to be discovered?
Faith Matters
Since March 2020, I am not alone in having my sense of wonder expanded. Some say their faith has been restored or their spirituality enhanced. Others have only just begun to seek answers beyond the severe limits of human perception and rationality. All of which is utterly congruous with this moment in time. The tumult and tectonic shifting of human creation, the creaking of our global house as it settles after the Covid Earthquake and the breaking of established patterns has set us up to seek answers to questions long pondered by the greatest thinkers of time (and all those who went unrecorded in the annals of history).
For this reason alone, I am grateful for the past two years. For better or for worse, we have come to know ourselves — and those around us — far better than we might have in more serene times. We now face questions. What lies beyond our current, popularized knowledge? What surprises lurk around the corner? What have we missed, in our reductionist approach to the organism which is our planet? What do we think we know that we don’t? And what questions have we not even begun to ask?
“COVID–19 has changed the landscape. Some have lost loved ones. Many have had to think about their own mortality. We have all reflected on our priorities and the fragility of life. For some, this has meant a turning again to thinking about God.”
~ The Church of Ireland
Unknowing Matters.
I am an American. As such, “independent thought” is bred into me. It is, therefore, unsurprising that my closest friends and family — who are Christian — are not of the “go to church and nod one’s head” variety. Instead, they continually seek the truest measure of their own faith, turning again and again to scripture in an endless human attempt to fully grasp at God’s meaning. They also search for a closer alignment with God through careful conversation with others, but they hand responsibility off to no one. Their relationship with God is arrived at in the privacy of their own heart, where words cannot obscure the meaning of their innermost thoughts.
For me, the most prominent trait shared by these Christians who I call friend, and am blessed to have as family, is humility. All readily accept the ultimate mystery of God, the epic gap that exists between humankind and the creator, and the endless condition of striving to come closer to a temporarily out of touch, yet perfect truth. While I am not Christian, myself, or a member of any “officially recognized church,” I admire, appreciate and share their sense of wonder. And the humility.
Thus, it should be unsurprising that I bring that same level of humility to my consideration of all complex systems existing on our planet, within our solar system, and indeed the Universe itself. For me, it is a matter of faith — an expression of my sincerely held beliefs — to view all arenas of human understanding or comprehension with constant and intentional humility. It is not merely the logical argument that hubris inevitably leads to ill effects that drives me. There is a deeper, intangible quality at the core of my sincerely held beliefs which requires that I leave room, at all times, for the unknown to not simply exist, but to be an active, intentional player at work in ways that I cannot pretend to comprehend.
One example of this sincerely held belief — which I seem to have been born with, and which has been augmented by my exposure to countless, similar perspectives on life and the world — is my reaction to the theory of evolution. Despite being steeped in the concept my entire life and generally considering “evolution” (of one form or another) to be the most likely source of our current physical reality, I have been bothered by the “Big Bang” theory since the moment it was presented to me. Why? Because the very idea that our species — mere humans — can grasp, describe and generally “control through knowledge” something so unbelievably incredible as the beginning of life, time and existence…is ludicrous.
At the same time, I celebrate, encourage and am invigorated by those who seek to do exactly that! Because they are living their lives fully, throwing themselves into their passions, devoting their lives to finding new answers to old questions, and who does not admire this? In this, I do not demonstrate inconsistency. I express fully my deep respect, appreciation and commitment to diversity. That those unlike me live and thrive is of the upmost importance to myself and all who truly seek a diverse society.
The Glorious Beauty of Living Without an Answer
I propose that it may be the experience of seeking one more layer of truth, in and of itself, that is the real goal. Not the answer. It is the seeking that drive us, for at no time in human history have we seen curiosity expunged or the sensation of “knowing” so powerful that all questions were erased from existence. Not only is our quest for knowledge likely to be ever justified, but the drive itself is implicit within our nature. To a greater or lesser degree — forever in search of knowledge, we all shall be.
In which case, of what great value is the temporary experience of “knowing the answer?” That knowing will not last the test of time. It may not even last the week, as one answer replaces the old, again and again and again. Perhaps it is the state of curiosity — the skill of being endlessly open to learning — that offers the greatest value?
Concretely, this brings us to a very great question. Of what value is liberty? I believe it is summed up nicely by the following quote, but before you read Louis’ thoughts, consider this:
“The material world is one which men can quibble about and potentially arrive at a consensus based upon physical facts and evidence; but the spiritual terrain of all beings are ineffable, and therefore must be uniquely tended to by the individual being itself. Meaning, the liberty of one’s faith is part and parcel with one’s ability to pursue happiness, and its removal is akin to imprisonment merely for the crime of being different. The one (happiness) cannot exist without the other (liberty of faith).”
~ March Twisdale
My Next Substack will tackle the topic of Workplace Religious Accommodations. I prefer this focus, because it is a positive one: How shall we include you, while acknowledging and making allowance for your sincerely held beliefs? The term “Religious Exemption” is mathematically negative (it focuses upon a void), highlighting only what it not done. Far better to also see the open arms and welcoming nature of an inclusive community or workplace that seeks creative ways to stir our beautiful melting pot into a smooth combination of diverse views!
Do you agree? Disagree?
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