The Golden Rule, although slightly different among religious and ethnic groups, still stands for the same premise: do unto others as you would have them do to you. So in this new age of slow unmasking, remember that not all of us are vaccinated yet. We live in a semi-vaccinated world – some are, some are not, and others are only half so.
One person writing earlier this year proposed a golden rule for our semi-vaccinated world: When deciding what you can and can’t do, you should think less about your own vaccination status, and more about whether your neighbors, family, grocery clerks, delivery drivers, and friends are still vulnerable to the virus.
In other words, think like whales or dolphins; inside your pod, you’re okay. Outside the pod you may not be. And, just as importantly, you may not be to others. And it’s the others we need to consider as we begin to emerge from our cocoons.
Prayer for the Day
Tempting are the ways of self-deception and self-indulgence,
But, you, O God, summon us to turn aside this day
Searching our hearts, we come to find the life you offer.
Freeing us from our presumptions and preoccupations,
We pray for strength and courage to continue the work of love.
In the name of him who was your gift of love,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
One can acquire everything in solitude except character.
Stendhal, French writer (1783-1842)
We don't heal in isolation, but in community.
S. Kelley Harrell, American writer
Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them
And give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
Psalm 118: 19-20