Opus 2022-347: Providential Parallels

God seems to find a pattern that works and sticks with it.  That is part of the reason why there are so many varieties of humanoids and why mammals have so much in common.  If it works don’t try to fix it.  If the beginning steps can be solid and consistent then the glory of creativity and imagination can be saved for the final product.  There is a sense in which God’s creativity goes on with each individual.  But God is not like your computer, He does not run out of RAM or have his CPU slow down because of malware.

My mind began to see parallels between physical and spiritual health and the layers of protection that God has erected.  

Think of the techniques which God designed to protect our health.  Some of them we have been reminded about in the latest health panic.  These are the ones that are printed in the manual and require our cooperation.  One has been given a cool title of “social distancing”.  This is not a new concept to people raised in the Judeo-Christian world.  All you need to do is look through the Old Testament law about treating infectious outbreaks and you see the idea of quarantine and having a specialist check to see if you are over it.  In those days it was a priest who could tell the difference between a simple rash and leprosy.  

When you are sick, stay home.  Seems simple enough.  If someone else is sick, stay away from them.  If the sickness if moral or spiritual the same principle applies.  You usually know who is not up to any good and if you are listening to what God keeps telling us, socially distance yourself.  

There are simple and easy rituals that can help keep us well.  They only work if implemented.  It was amazing that during the panic you could walk into a rest room and see a chart telling you how to wash your hands.  Duh.  It is called simple, basic hygiene.  What is the message every parent passes to their children before a meal?  “Wash your hands.”  Simple, but ignored.  Did you experience the ritual of watching someone turn on the water, swing their hands through the flow once and proceed to the paper towels?  Micro seconds, no soap and totally useless, but if they were asked, “Did you wash your hands?”  They would answer, “Yes.”

Again we see the groundwork for this in the Old Testament.  They even knew that some utensils could not be purged of the germs and they were earmarked for destruction and the fire.  Washing was started in ritual and through tradition transitioned to the old hand washing routine.  Or should we say seemed to be a ritual.  Just because we don’t see the reason doesn’t mean their isn’t one.  How many children do you know who think it is perfectly fine to use someone else’s straw?

God has established protections for His people, both spiritual and physical.  The protections come from general to very specific but they span the whole spectrum of life.  General protections in the physical world could start with not climbing a tree during a lightening storm to being careful in how you cook your steak.  Mistakes in both can get you killed.  

Recently I read an article about new outbreaks of cholera.  They listed the countries and it seemed that all of them were in what we call the third world.  If you were going on a vacation you would probably not visit any of those areas because they are not pleasant places to visit.  It must be even worse if you live there.

I remember during a previous attempt to panic the population, I think it was over Ebola, I did a little research on where it was coming from.  It turned out to be West Africa.  As I was reading I noticed a “coincidence”.  The same area was the center of malaria, HIV and assorted other diseases.  Was it the location or the culture?  Maybe both.  If it was the location, why stay?  We are used to people moving because the neighborhood goes down hill.  Why would entire populations remain in areas that do little beside generate disease and poverty?

Maybe they have no choice.

It could also be a form of fear.  One focus would be fear of change.  Another might be fear of the unknown.  I find myself asking why people I know still in live in California.  I am talking about people who are otherwise intelligent and have the resources to relocate, but they don’t.  

And all of this is outward conduct.  They are learnable and require buy-in.  They have all been around for a long time but we tend to ignore them because we think pills, supplements and lotions will take care of everything.

Welcome to the wake up.

homo unius libri