Europeans Thank Healthcare Professionals Amidst COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

“In a gesture of gratitude for doctors, nurses and other medical workers who work in Spain’s national health system, people went to their balconies all over the country at 10 p.m. local time to applaud in unison.”

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/816309232/global-deaths-from-coronavirus-surpass-6-000

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Folks in America would ~NEVER~ do anything even remotely like that.

And, that’s quite sad, indeed, given that gratitude – which is among, if not THE most “Christian” of all human expressions – isn’t practiced on a broad collective level by an ostensibly “Christian” nation.

Perhaps the nation’s churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other houses of worship should reconsider the merit their work has, or has accomplished, given as much.

And “yes,” regardless of one’s personal, or religious opinion of the Christ’s teachings, or claims of divinity, most faith traditions – especially the closely-related faith practices of Islam, Judaism, and Christendom (ecumenism), including those of Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc. – celebrate the principles, teachings, and/or respect the purpose, reason, and cause to, and for which, his self-stated initiative was devoted – acceptance, love, and respect of everyone, and the selfsame expression of that love, and demonstration of acceptance and respect, which inherently includes forgiveness, by and through selfless actions for others’ benefit, without regard for any other factor.

While I have seen, and experienced some “messages of gratitude for these and other essential workers” personally, mine are anecdotal, while the observation and citation referenced above, is not.

My greater point is not individualism, but collectivism — a unified expression of gratitude on a national basis, as in “they were all in one accord.”

And, might I add, simultaneous.

The closest thing we have in that regard is Thanksgiving, or Independence Day, both which are both national holidays, though one has religious overtones, while the other does not.

See also:

BY LORI HINNANT
Friday, 20 March 2020

PARIS (AP) — At a time of isolation, people in many European cities hit hard by the new coronavirus are taking at least a minute each night to come together in gratitude.

They stand at open windows or on balconies in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Athens and Amsterdam, singing, cheering and applauding even though they know their intended audience is too busy to listen.

The adulation is for the doctors, nurses and other health care workers putting themselves at risk on the front lines of the pandemic that is forcing most residents to stay home. A 52-year-old nurse on Thursday became the first medical professional in Spain to die of COVID-19.

In Italy, where the number of virus-related deaths surpassed those in China, 2,900 health care providers have been infected, or 10% of the country’s total. Italian broadcasters regularly feature exhausted doctors and nurses begging people to stay home and

What Else Do You Need?

“… a few kind words, and a prayer.”

Those words have stayed with me for many years after the first time I ever heard them uttered as a young adult. A man, unknown to me, had said that in response to a question asked of him by a clerk, which was, “What else do you need?”

While I realize the gracious humor in them, they definitely convey a message. And there is always truth in humor, regardless of what topic it covers, which is why people often “jokingly” say things. It conveys truth.

As the years progressed, I have adopted that phrase as my own, and when asked by anyone if I need anything else, I often smile and say, “Yes… a few kind words and a prayer.”

Sometimes, in response, I’ve seen baffled looks, and yet at others, heard a

Thank you!

Here’s a quick shout-out to all of you who’re reading this: