LYFTING and COVID19

The panic and hysteria surrounding the COVID19 virus has provided plenty of fodder for discussion with LYFT riders these days. All of my riders have expressed deep appreciation for the alcohol hand wipes I provide them for use at the end of the trip.

They usually ask me what I think about the whole thing and here is what I tell them.

I don’t know if it is as bad as we are led to believe but my impressions run as follow: I think the virus is a real thing and it is a serious health threat to certain segments of our population. However I think that there are two things to keep in mind. There are the facts, on the one hand, and … there are the emotions on the other. I suspect that if we could remove the emotions from the equation we would have a far different picture than we do. Unfortunately, the picture we have has been painted by the media coverage. In my opinion, the breathless, slanted coverage including the interviews with people who have been quarantined as they are asked questions which they cannot possibly answer knowledgeably. In my opinion, the entertainment news media is creating a panic and feeding the hysteria that we see in our nation.

It has snowballed to the point that we have group panic and group hysteria and it is escalating every day. Furthermore, in my opinion, there is a motive behind this kind of sometimes hyperbolic reporting. I believe we are seeing the weaponization of the virus for political purposes aimed at the November election. It occurred to me today that there is absolutely NO ONE talking about the two leading democratic candidates for the presidency. They have all but disappeared from the public discussion. Who benefits from that?

In the meantime the american public is hording toilet paper!!

We have no reported cases here in Dubuque. Three of my riders are restaurant managers and they are suffering because people are not eating out! They are facing the possibility of having to close for some time. Business is down from 30 to 60%.

I have enjoyed telling my riders how it is that I remain sane … and calm … in the face of the chaos. I tell them that I know that God is not upset by what is happening. He is not sitting in heaven, wiping his brow and wringing his hands over this. He is in control and He has not changed what He requires of me. My marching orders are still the same as they have been. My responsibility is to simply trust and obey … and leave the rest to Him, I have momentary lapses when I am overwhelmed in my emotions as I listen to the reports. But in the quiet moments, when I take a deep breath and re-focus on the facts of a sovereign God and my relationship with him, I am at peace.

One of my riders today asked me, “What do you mean about “your relationship with him.” and I had the opportunity … and a long enough ride … to tell her my testimony. The thanked me and said that was very meaningful to her. “My mother keeps trying to get me to come to church with her at xxxxxx (a strong local church) but I just don’t know why I don’t want to. Will you pray for me?” I of course, assured her I would and I told her to “listen to her mother”. Please pray for A.

ALSO HEARD TODAY … “You look like an FBI agent.”