How Should We Behave When the World is Going Crazy?

Up to 225,000 businesses to close for good in Canada.

How is this good?

Some will say that in 1918–1919 the economic recovery was stronger in places that locked down. However, in 1918–1919 they did not have Amazons and Wal-Marts in play.

Meaning, today the government forces a business to shut down, yet, their competition remains open…and people are strongly encouraged to go to these Amazons and Wal-marts. So what we have here are small businesses who are forced to close and the Government encouraging their customers to go elsewhere to shop. The taxes that a small business paid are being used to drive business to their competition.

Which is why some people are mad.

Statistics are one thing…the story they do not tell is of the human pain and suffering that goes along with seeing your life’s work going up in smoke.

Yes, these businesses get some support…but what is happening here is changing customer habits to shop elsewhere than local.

Amazon has the money to create a good online experience. Many small business people do not have this money and cannot compete in this. So, many will close and stay closed. Amazon is handy and a helpful service…yet, once the money flows to Amazon it is out of the local economy.

Why is this bad? It is the local business people who support and build community centers, hockey rinks, parks and so on. The money that goes to them, builds up the entire community.

This should not be taken as a condemnation of people in our government. There are serious problems in the world today and most of them are doing the best they can under tremendous pressure. Why not send them a message of encouragement and shock them with your civil attitude?

This is a situation for ordinary citizens to take action on.

Stop waiting for the government to do everything. What can ordinary people do to create a better community?

Can we support the local business people who have built so much in our communities?

Can we do something differently so that our local business people don’t have to shut down in the first place?

Anybody can sit and grumble. What we need are people to think of constructive solutions to these problems.

In our society we can bring our ideas forward to our local governments, Maybe they’ll like them. Maybe they won’t. Still, an idea brought forward has more chance of succeeding than one that never leaves the coffee shop.

For Church type people who may read this…yes, it is a sad thing to see a Church building close. Yet, is the mission of the church (defined as a group of people) really canceled?

Is the great commission of the Church really to have buildings and services?

Going back to 1918–1919 has limited value for our current situation. Still, back then when the Churches were closed, the people in the Church building looked for ways to serve. Some of them paid with their lives for the dangerous volunteer work they did in epidemic areas. However, if we could speak to them now, would they tell us, “I just wish I had been able to watch more TV?” Or would they tell us that they had heard the words “good and faithful servant” for continuing on in the mission they had been given?

I’m preaching this to myself as much as anyone else. It is easy to get enraged and/or depressed when watching the news these days. However, in the end, we are only accountable for our own behavior.

Whatever crazy thing that is going on…are we going along with it? Whatever bad thing that is happening…are we part of the solution?

However strong the temptation is to be sinister…will we decide to choose the harder path, the narrow way…that leads to life. Or the broad, easy way of darkness, cruelty and destruction?