The Coronavirus Quarantine | Week 3

There is so much to be learned from the successes and failures of other countries. That is why travel is so important. The number of people who have never traveled outside of their city or state is staggering but when you consider the number of people who have never traveled outside of their country--its mind-blowing.

It is easy to see how someone who has never traveled can have a myopic view of the world and its people. It is also easy to understand the difficulty many people have understanding that we are all children of God and all objects of God’s creation.

The division of the world into many nations exacerbates the situation. We are led to believe that we are the best—the greatest—and if you do not believe this you are a traitor and conspirator, undeserving of the benefits of citizenship. One doesn’t have to love their country by saying “we are the biggest and best in the world.” Not everyone or everything can be the biggest or the best or number one or even number twenty-seven. But everyone can learn and improve. We can all do our best. We can all glean wisdom and expertise from others who have gone where we haven't gone and are dominate in areas were we are not. We should learn from them and adapt.

Costa Rica decided they would abolish their military nearly seventy years ago and redeploy their military budget on healthcare and education. They would fight the true enemies of humanity—hunger, poverty, ignorance, and disease. As a result, Costa Rica was well prepared for the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

Farmers, truckers, and grocers have worked together to put fresh produce on the shelves of local stores and markets. Medical services are available to those who are in need—even foreign travelers stuck within the Country’s borders because of travel bans and social distancing are afforded free medical care and testing.

At the outbreak of the first case of coronavirus, schools of learning within the University of Costa Rica came together to begin producing ventilators for the medical community. They recognized there was going to be a global need and ascertained they had a part to help meet that global need.

I pray that my country and homeland learn the hard lessons of Coronavirus and changes it’s ways and priorities to be better prepared for the next attack on our precious soil, now that we know our true vulnerabilities.

May God Bless Us All!