Be Not Afraid – AGE OF AUTISM
By Cathy Jameson
I love John Paul the Great. Growing up I just knew him as Pope John Paul II. Canonized only a few years ago, I appreciate the fact that this modern saint lived during my childhood. When he died, I remember feeling like I had lost a loved one in the family. I remembered one of his quotes pictured above on his feast day, the 22nd. This quote has brought me through difficult times in the past.
When I saw other memories of this saint all day on Friday, I thought I would take inspiration from him. He has some good quotes, but I kept coming back to this: I beg you – never give up hope, never doubt, never get tired and never get discouraged. Have no fear.
Given the discouraging news lately, it has been really hard to remain hopeful. Although many businesses, schools, sports and recreational facilities are back in operation, the planet appears to be in an eternal lockdown. Shops are open, but customers still have to stay two meters apart. The schools are running, but the children have to be masked. The sport is in full swing on the weekends, but once the fans leave the crowded stadiums it is no longer sensitive from Monday to Friday.
I understand the need to be careful, mindful, and respectful of an existing virus. But I will never endorse everything that has been done about this virus, including a mandate to vaccinate it. Many people are considering or have already quit their job because of this illegal mandate. I applaud those who have already done it, who stood up and said no. I fully support those who have faced their fears and who have managed to break away from tyranny. The people are still under attack, however, and I have a feeling we haven’t seen everything The Machine thinks is possible.
The people here and in other communities have fought the machine for years. In the past few years, bad vaccination bills were struck off their records. You asserted yourself and made an impression. Their message – if there is a risk, there must be a choice – has been heard on all sorts of platforms. Still, The Machine is gaining ground, and it’s fast too. With a medical device, elected and selected government officials, along with pharmaceutical companies and large corporations, do everything they can to advance that product. You will not, it seems, be satisfied until every single person has received it. The disregard I have seen for individual health and individual choices is unfathomable to me. I can’t remember any time in my life when I experienced anything as destructive as what has happened in the past few months.
Instead of actually destroying the virus, those orchestrating COVID19 have successfully destroyed Americans’ freedoms. When these freedoms were deprived, a new level of contempt arose, especially towards the exposed and unvaccinated. Instead of suppressing this, further mandates were issued. The more the government was involved, the more people in everyday life disagreed with what was fact and fiction. Playing neighbor against neighbor, the citizens eagerly looked for mistakes in each other. Then personal choice ceased to exist. Now, healthy, bright, talented, hard-working Americans, who are physically able and who want to work, have a terrible decision to make – to step on a mandate or to lose their job. It’s terrifying what people are dealing with.
You are tired.
You are doubtful.
You are discouraged.
And they are scared.
They are not alone in their plight and many rise to fight. I know I’ve said it before, but I hate that some of it turns into a fight. But when The People is cornered, you have to fight back. Not everyone will be able to fight for their rights before the term of office expires, and that makes me feel a despair that I have never felt before. When despair creeps in, I know I have to work harder. I know that I have to pray harder, and I know that I absolutely have to rely on my faith in a way I’ve never had to do before. If I don’t rely on that belief, I’ll break down. To those in our community and beyond who will soon face the impossible …
I beg you – never give up hope, never doubt, never get tired and never let yourself be discouraged. Have no fear.
Cathy Jameson is co-editor for Age of Autism.
