Some things I just don't understand during COVID

I don’t understand twenty-somethings, biking by themselves, wearing masks.

Maybe there’s a logical explanation, but I literally can’t come up with even one that makes any sense.

I don’t understand people that say scientist don’t know anything, COVID experts are hopelessly misguided, and data can tell us almost nothing, then they proceed to offer their own “scientific” perspective on the virus and it’s impact, they site data, and they speak as if they know what the governments of the world should do or should have done.

I don’t understand people who decry the politicalization of COVID and science, then proceed to bombard me with a political diatribe of their own regarding COVID and science.

Okay, actually I understand some of this.

It’s like when I told a friend that he was terrible at social distancing.

He looked at me like I had gone mad. His voice said he thought I was insane.

“YOU are worse than everybody I know,” he said. And he proceeded to give me recent examples.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand the masks on bikes thing, but the other examples I gave have a simple explanation, I think.

We are creatures with a massive lack of self awareness.

I think we can do a better job of becoming more self aware, and we can do better at gently and humbly calling out blind spots.

But mostly I think what we need is to extend grace to each other, especially now with the massive frustrations we’re all experiencing.

That simple act, extending grace (as recipients of God’s grace), is probably one of the most gospel-proclaiming testimonies we can offer our world right now.

But if I’m going to be frank, I have to say that I’m not sure it applies to those bicyclists.

After all, the science clearly says…

Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash.