‘Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers’

March 17, 2020

By Dr. Heather Bozant Witcher

Above all, remain calm. This is the message I felt like shouting to colleagues in my university’s hallway as the announcement alerted all faculty and students we would be moving to distance learning and online classes.

It’s the same message I wanted to share with the crowds jostling, completely oblivious to “social distancing” regulations, while stocking up on toilet paper and disinfecting products.

It’s the message we should be hearing more frequently. Calm amidst the chaos. Patience, kindness, flexibility. And it certainly shouldn’t be a message that arises as an outcome of contagion and panic, as an outcome of trials and tribulations.

This is, after all, a message of humanity, a message of common courtesy, a message that asks us to keep in mind the dignity of every person, but also the vulnerability of every individual.

In these uncharted times, when we face so much uncertainty and when we are facing very abrupt changes in our personal and professional lives, it may seem easy to think only of ourselves, of our own families. Every man for himself.

At least, that’s the model that I witnessed in the crowds at the stores. Just trying to get baby essentials – diapers, wipes, lotions – in my usual errand run,

I encountered a woman stockpiling the wipes. She unapologetically told everyone around her that she “needed” these essentials because she planned on isolating herself until the scare was over.

That’s not the accurate response. Certainly, we must do all we can to prepare ourselves and practice caution, following the guidelines of the CDC that have been circulating.

But I think it’s also accurate that we must check in on those around us. Those neighbors who live by themselves. Those friends who maybe haven’t been watching very closely to the news, who perhaps neglect to follow what needs to be done to “flatten the curve.”

As I prepared my students for what may be the last time that I see them face to face this semester, I emphasized to them the need to practice safety, the need to prioritize their well-being and the well-being of those around them. And, above all, I told them to practice kindness.

We’re living in very stressful, panic-inducing times. We have no idea what other people are going through in addition to the chaos of COVID-19. But we do have control over our interactions with others. We do have control over our words and actions.

Be prepared to practice the message of care that Catholicism preaches. Be prepared to listen. Be prepared to empathize, to encourage, to soothe and assuage. Our words and actions can have more impact than we will ever know.

Dr. Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at hbozantwitcher@clarionherald.org.