A walk on the beach, 2021-01-24

This Sunday morning, a sunny one for a change, I went for a walk on the beach. As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one. No wonder, as everything is closed. Even the churches have closed their doors to us. One would expect that churches would welcome us, especially in times of need. Because they are allowed to keep their doors open and have services, albeit for a limited number of people. But they are just as scared as everybody else. I think this is an utter lack of faith and trust. Most of them live stream services, but that is not the same. As a single woman, I crave for contact with people, even if we have to keep an abnormal distance.  Seeing each other as a source of contamination is a very bad attitude. People can’t live in isolation. Life can only be lived in contact and relationship with others. This whole attitude may be more lethal than the pandemic itself. Isn’t solitary confinement one of the severest punishments?

Anyway, after so many days of rain and dark skies, the sun was out this morning. We had a mild frost during the night and the air felt crisp and fresh. After 40 years of going to this particular church every Sunday morning, I decided to praise God somewhere else. As I mentioned before, I wasn’t the only one on the beach, for it seemed everybody was walking dogs, children, and themselves. Being cooped up during the week, parents working from home and children and students studying at home as well, as schools are closed, everybody needed some space and fresh air, far healthier than being shut up at home, and an excellent boost for the immune system. It was a joy to see the fun children in wellingtons had, jumping into the foam made by the breaking waves, screaming and laughing. So much better than sitting behind a computer screen all day, not being able to play with their friends. For children and youngsters, it is so important to learn to build up relationships and friendships, especially if they have no siblings to play with.

Just as the children I too enjoyed my walk along the foaming sea, happy as a child to be able to walk through the water in my wellingtons, although they were a bit cold.  I noticed that there seem to be almost as many dogs as people, and not just small dogs.

Tonight, there is plenty of time to listen to or view a recorded church service, since curfew begins at 9 in the evening. And because I do not own a dog, there is no excuse to go out at all.

Perhaps curfew does not seem too bad, considering cafes, restaurants, theatres and concert halls are all closed anyway. But it also means that one can’t have anybody over for a meal, unless one can offer a bed as well. This is all very well for people wo share their home and their lives with others, a partner or a family. But for those living alone it is an extra punishment. If they have kept all the rules, they haven’t been touched, hugged or kissed for almost a year. Sharing a meal was something which was still possible. But that too has been taken away.

Why does everyone believe it when we are told it is for our own benefit so that we do not get sick? Is it really? Or is it because our social system has been broken down deliberately by our politicians? Hospitals were closed, the wages of medical workers are far too low, so in fact we no longer have enough hospital beds and not enough skilled nurses and medical staff to cope with a pandemic.  And so we all suffer. Instead of making haste vaccinating people now that there are several vaccines available, we haven’t ordered enough vaccines and our vaccination rate is the lowest in Europe. The whole population of Israel has been vaccinated already, and we haven’t even managed to vaccinate all medical workers and doctors. What we need is a totally different government, which cares not just for the economy, but for its people. Which doesn’t look only at investments, profits and growth, but at a fair life for all their inhabitants, and an equal share of our wealth and resources.