Wuhan 2019

It's February 2020 and we are in the middle of the 2019-n-CoV outbreak. I can't help but to reflect how polarised our society has become, or at least the HK pubic at large.

I guess it is easy to point the finger to the person next to you. It's hard to imagine us, ourselves, being the problem. Yet. That might just be the case. 

I'm no saint, in fact some would find I lack empathy. Acknowledging the problem is one thing, actively addressing it is another. 

May be Pope Francis hit it on the nail, again. When he said fear is the core of all this. Fear of the unknown, fear of the other, fear.

“The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization…. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.”

“The enemy within” is nothing more than our age-old nemesis: fear. We are afraid. All of us. And that’s good news too, because it means that we all have something else in common and an additional means of relating anew to each other, by the grace of God. To do that we simply need to do what God, through the risen Christ, is always urging us to do anyway: “Be not afraid.” 

Much to reflect on. What a heavy start to 2020!