In my last blog, I mentioned Oswald Chambers’s statement that the only certainty is uncertainty. In spite of our efforts at control—and I confess I’m an inveterate control freak—we can never predict the future with any certainty.
Hence, our present Coronavirus pandemic. Nobody could have predicted as recently as February that the world would be held in the vise grip of this health crisis.
So, now that we are, what’s next.? How do we respond?
I’m an avid student of Stoic philosophy, that ancient Greek school of thought which posits it’s not what happens to us that counts, but our response to it. Thus, Descartes’ “cogito ergo sum:” “We think, therefore we are.”
Earlier today, as is my Sunday habit, I listened to NPR’s WUOT airing of Krista Tippett’s “On Being,” wherein she interviewed Rebecca Solnit, a keen observer and author of crises and how people respond to them. She wrote “Building Paradise From Hell,” in which she documents one poignant example after another of extraordinary feats of assistance by ordinary people in post-Katrina New Orleans. I quote her: “Crises are often resolved only through a new identity or new purpose, whether it’s that of a nation or a single human being.”
So, the question remains: Are we going to be a part of the problem, or a part of the solution? Yes, “social distancing” makes sense. But so does stepping outside your comfort or cocoon zone and cautiously adding value to someone else’s life.
Like Janie and I did yesterday per her beautiful suggestion, by visiting several 90+ years of age elders across the city from our church. We drove by their homes, cheered them from a distance, and drove on. We made their day…and ours, too. And you know what else? Our immune systems got a healthy boost in the process.
Our G3 Team is figuring out all kinds of ways to value add in our community. If you need us, we’d love to hear from you.
G. Turner Howard III, Wreck Attorney
Your Wreck Attorney
After spending his secondary years of study at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, G Turner Howard III earned his BA at Tulane University. A member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, he received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Before becoming an attorney, he earned a Master’s and Doctor of Divinity at Andrews Theological Seminary and Columbia Theological Seminary. He also served as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army in Vietnam. With more than 20 years of experience, his firm has helped clients receive millions of dollars for personal injury, and in many cases, much faster than they ever expected.
