Vox Populi

"Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit."

And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close to madness.

Letter from Alcuin to Charlemagne in 798.

Stones, Beams, and Righteousness

I've heard the argument from many people many times. It comes in many forms, but it generally resolves into something like this: "Regardless of the consequences, you should be moral in all cases." Of course, it's always in terms of their morals with full benefit of hindsight. It also usually is accompanied by the person doesn't have to make the decision, themselves. It's always easier to make decisions for others.

These are always black-and-white choices for the person making the argument. It's too bad life is full of grey. Often the choices are not between good and bad, but between bad and horrible. Between what one wants and what one needs. Too often it's between two varieties of pain.

Poor people know this struggle too well. When you talk to a low level criminals, usually they do what they know is wrong because they feel like they have few other choices. Do they sell drugs or become homeless? Do they prostitute their bodies or let their children go hungry? Do they rob the corner store or go without medical care?

Sinners:

It's very easy to judge sinners, isn't it? At least, we often think it is. We believe we know someone's heart by looking at their actions. But only God knows their heart, which is why we are admonished to "judge not" in the Book of Matthew (7:1). We are mere humans, full of our own flaws. We are not called, nor qualified, to mete out judgement.

Sinners generally don't even recognize their own sins. In our own minds, we are the heroes of our stories. What we do is right in our own eyes (Proverbs 21:2). But God knows the sins of our heart. Men are not equipped to know these things. We often judge the "mote" while looking around our own "beam" (Matthew 7:3). Our own sinful nature obscures our vision and our ability to judge clearly. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23), and are not able to cast judgement (John 8:7).

The hearts of men are deceitful because we are fallen and broken. We are only saved by the grace of God. Sure, our actions are reflections of our heart. Sinful hearts beget sinful acts. Likewise pure hearts tend toward pure acts. We are to recognize evil "by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). But we cannot claim to know their sin, as we cannot see inside one's heart. Only God can truly correlate the "fruits" with the heart (Jeremiah 17:10).

Consequences:

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." We hear that in science. But it's not always true. If it were, there would be no motion. What is more accurate would be to say every action has reactions. Those reactions are not always evident. Dropping a ball should have a predictable result, but we all know the ball never quite bounces exactly the same way twice.

Likewise, every situation in life may seem identical on the surface, but they never are. Today, we may absolutely know what is "right". And tomorrow we may believe something else. Our understanding changes moment to moment. Think of all the things you knew were true just five years ago. How much is still true? You likely have a deeper understanding of things because your experience has changed your perception.

"Imagine what you will know tomorrow." - Agent K, "Men In Black"

We also only know our own experience. We cannot know someone else's experience. Even if we "walk a mile in their shoes", it's still us walking, and now. We can't experience them walking then. So we must be careful not to judge harshly the decisions of others. We are not them. They are not us. And if we were them, we might very well make the same decisions.

Personal:

I won't go into great detail, but I think a personal example would help crystallize things. Very often, after CoVid, I would hear people say things like, "You should refuse the vaccine no matter the consequences." That's great to say. And in many ways I agree. Moreso now (with benefit of hindsight) I think it would be better for most to refuse the CoVid vaccine. But not for all consequences, because the consequences can be literally life or death.

My first grandbaby was born in January of 2019. He celebrated his first birthday just as CoVid took over the world. I was blessed to attend that party. I wasn't able to attend his second in 2021 due to many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was CoVid.

My father-in-law also went into the hospital in January of 2020 about the time of my grandchild's birthday. By the time he came out of the hospital, and into physical rehab, CoVid had fully encompassed the globe. His family was unable to visit him for three weeks.

When he left rehab, he went into a specialty care facility for further recuperation. We were able to see him, but only through a window. His family had to gather outside, speaking to him by telephone. We passed the phone around one at a time just to see how he was doing. The window was by appointment only, so we couldn't see him whenever we desired. So we only saw him once or twice a week.

The rest of the time, he was in there alone with strangers. Every day was the fear that someone would bring death through the door in a cough. Nursing homes tracked every person who came in contact with their patients, down to delivery drivers. Deliveries were wiped down (for an aerosolized virus), and daily on site testing was mandatory for anyone who was allowed through the doors.

Remember, early in 2020, we had no idea how transmissible CoVid was. Nor how deadly. Was five minutes within six feet of an asymptomatic carrier enough? No one knew. Death was around every corner. And at a nursing home, death swung a wide blade. One infection could mean the death of dozens.

Upon release from the home, my father-in-law required additional care. You see, he couldn't swallow food. He had a tube installed in his stomach through which we poured his medicine, nutrition, and anything else he needed. He could drink small amounts of water, but we dared not try anything else. He might end up back in the hospital, and that's where all the CoVid positive people were. It was a death sentence for an 85 year old.

We hired a nurse to come in once a day, Monday through Friday, to feed him breakfast and administer morning medicine. I would take care of him on evenings and weekends, plus do any shopping he needed. The nurse cost $700 per week. CoVid was predicted to last forever. This was to be the "new normal".

Every day I came to care for my father-in-law, was I bringing CoVid with me? How would I know? Should I test every day? Should I wear a mask? Would I get CoVid at the store, just to bring it to him?

Should I get the vaccine?

"You should refuse the vaccine no matter the consequences." But what if death is a realistic consequence?

Deny Him:

There are those who would say, "Yes. I would risk everything to maintain my morals." They'll quote scripture, saying, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36) They believe God will provide (Philippians 4:19).

But death and disease strike down sinner and saint, alike. The Black Death, a simple bacteria, decimated the Catholic Church because the monks, like a shepherd, were willing to risk death to save their flock. And die they did, and in great numbers.

It's easy, when we aren't faced with death, to say we too would risk certain death for faith. We believe we would act faithfully.

This is vanity and pride.

Even the disciples who walked with Jesus were unable to act faithfully. When the shepherd leaves, the flock stays (Mark 14:27). Even Peter, he whom was the "rock upon which" the church was built (Matthew 16:18) denied knowing Jesus at the end (Luke 22:54-62). When death was certain, even Peter failed the test. And we believe we would do any better than Peter, who literally walked with Jesus?

Summary:

I have already belabored the point, but I feel this needs to be summarized briefly. But what more can really be said? We are called to be like Jesus, for no one comes to God but through him (John 14:6). But we are not him. We are not perfect. We are sinners, and fallen from grace. And we should treat each other with the kindness and consideration which we hope to receive should we find ourselves in that position (Matthew 7:12). We should council and listen, pray for and pray with, but never should we judge. "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Matthew 7:2)