Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday -- aka Woodstock
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.
For with the judgment you make you will be judged,
and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye,
but do not notice the log in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your neighbour,[
‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’
while the log is in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus of Nazareth
Nobody likes selfish cheaters except, perhaps,the cheaters themselves. So, when we saw what appeared to be throngs of scofflaws in a park on Saturday it provoked widespread outrage, and justifiably so.Not only did some of these people flaunt COVID-19 distancing regulations, they were also disgusting as they defecated and urinated on the lawns of residents nearby. Shortly thereafter a doctor who has been selflessly working in a hospital for weeks, separated from his family, posted an emotional response of disbelief and disappointment which certainly touched me.
Since then Torontonians have been posting photos of near-empty parks and public spaces where people were following the rules on the weekend. Our 33-year-old daughter is a Toronto resident and lives near High Park. She is a very social person with a wide circle of friends but she has been scrupulous about distancing for nearly ten weeks. She lives close to High Park and the lake shore, so she goes early in the morning to avoid contact with others and lives essentially to herself the rest of the time while she works from home.
In our pleasant suburban neighbourhood there are people who have been stealth visiting throughout the supposed lock-down. An elderly couple visits with family all the time even though they are not healthy. They don't bother to keep a safe distance. Others are doing the same, but they don't end up in the news. And we suburbanites have the privilege of relatively spacious and private yards for our clandestine behaviour. In Toronto the Not-As-Good-As-We'd-Like hundreds of thousands have been cooped up in condos and apartments in a city which doesn't have adequate green space.
It's all a reminder that we are invited to see the worst and experience the deep indignation which comes with it. That's newsworthy, and everyday compliance is boring.
I had a Twitter exchange yesterday with a former United Church clergy colleague who is a great guy. He ended up fairly "wrapped around the axle" about the selfishness of what had occurred in Toronto. He lives in the country and I reminded him that lots of those park miscreants are people who take public transit and don't own a car. They live in densified neighbourhoods and don't commute distances to work. Perhaps they would want to call us out for acting in ways that ignore a greater crisis, the climate emergency? I suggested we all take a deep breath on this one. We agreed to disagree.
I still think that what those people in Trinity Bellwoods Park did was wrong, and I'm confident that I'll be judgmental about COVID-iots From time to time I catch myself being a total hypocrite and the reopening of society will likely be no exception. .
Still, I'll attempt to be aware for the logs in my own eyes as I take umbrage at the specks in the eyes of others.
Thoughts?
3 comments:
I have to confess, my family ignored the social distancing rule early in April. I was in a car accident (not hurt, but in mild shock) and my son insisted on taking me to his home for supper and the evening, to ensure I would be okay. The whole family was watching over me to make sure I would not react adversely a few hours after the event (which tends to happen to me in a trauma). We did stay 6- 8 feet apart (except in my son's vehicle, when he drove me - since mine was towed away- thank God, we are all still well. And I appreciated his concern for me very much.
I'm confident that this doesn't qualify as partying in a public place, Judy. It's good to hear you're okay!
We went into a very stringent quarantine for two weeks before the birth of our grandson last week so that we could be the caregivers for our granddaughter while mom and dad were in hospital. We had to exit the home without being near the newborn or parents when they arrived home. These are strange times which require extraordinary measures.
Granddaughter Alyssa is expecting her third child June 12 - and we don't know yet if any family (including the dad, Chris,) will be allowed in the hospital with her.... I will have to make do with photos of the babe for the foreseeable future, too. :(
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