Daily Excerpt: The Pandemic and Hope (Ortman) - Prologue

  

Excerpt from The Pandemic and Hope by Dr. Dennis Ortman --

PROLOGUE

“There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.”

I John 4:18

The Coronavirus has swept across the earth, not respecting national borders. It is truly a universal, global event. No social class is immune: the old and the young, the rich and the poor. The death toll rises each day. Its numbers are in the tens of thousands. Government leaders around the world are mobilizing their forces to fight this invisible enemy. COVID-19 has become a common enemy, surprisingly uniting countries with hostile relationships. Indeed, the media mantra rings true:”We are all in this together.”

It appears to me that we are facing two invisible enemies: the Coronavirus and the fear virus. Both are equally pernicious and contagious in their own ways. The Coronavirus can kill the body. Fear can destroy our mental/emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It can lead to despair, and even suicide. We are witnessing today a world-wide mass hysteria about COVID-19. As scientists express their uncertainty about the nature, course, and cure for this virus, we feel our anxiety skyrocket.

Our anxiety also escalates when we realize that this is not an entirely new event. Our planet has been subjected in the past to global plagues that had devastating and long-term impact. In 1918, just after the horror of World War I, the Spanish flu ravished the world. The disease lasted two years and attacked in three deadly waves. It is estimated that 500 million people, a quarter of the world population at that time, became infected. An estimated 50 million people died. A brief perusal of history draws us to the infamous bubonic plague (Black Death) in the Middle Ages that nearly wiped out the European population. Is what we are experiencing now a reenactment of this terrible past?

One of my patients, feeling overwhelmed and desperate, exclaimed, “God is punishing us. The Coronavirus is the plague of Armageddon.” If, indeed, we think of this Coronavirus as the end-time plague in the Book of Revelation, it is cause for hope, not despair. The plague and final conflict signaled the beginning of the end when God’s final victory was complete. A new heaven and earth will be created. Similarly, the Egyptian plague prepared the Hebrew people for their exodus across the desert to the Promised Land. Perhaps we have entered the desert of our exodus to new life.

As I reflect on the current events, I ask what this happening is asking of me. I am a psychologist in private practice in the Detroit area that is one of the nations viral “hot spots.” Our state, like almost all, is in lockdown. I now see myself as providing an essential service to combat the fear virus which is now pandemic. I go to the office each day and accompany my patients through their anxiety both in person and by phone. This event also inspired me to write this small book. I intend it to offer a message of hope. I see this world-wide crisis as an opportunity to examine our lives closely, ask ourselves what we value most, and re-envision a new future for our nation and world.

I hear the worry winding up in my patients as the crisis and uncertainty continue. I can project a trajectory to our increasing anxiety, which I explore in this book. It begins with panic (Chapter One), and becomes a trauma for many (Chapter Two), and a way of life, like an addiction, for some (Chapter Three). I offer some suggestions on a way through these distressful feelings to learn their treasure.

I write as a psychologist who previously worked as a Catholic priest for 14 years. My approach to my work and writing is an integration of psychology and spirituality. My hope is that the bravery, generosity, and compassion we are already witnessing by so many around the world confronting this common enemy will be even more contagious and long-lasting than the Coronavirus.

Read more posts about Dennis and his books HERE. 

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