By Pe’pe Gonzales

The COVID-19 crisis has struck us all in different ways yet at the same time we each suffer similarly. There is no cookie cutter scenario that you can imagine that would fit each and every one of us. Some of you are in the perfect place in life your to weather this storm with little to no impact. For others this has been a life crushing blow that you may never recover from and you see little hope of relief.

Maybe you have lost a loved one, maybe your business, that you have nurtured your entire working life, has been ripped away, and maybe you are gripped in fear and see no end in sight. To each and every one who is facing a different and difficult challenge hearing about the economy and its value resonates differently.

So how do we discuss something that is very important to how we live our lives each day?

Our economy effects our life daily as does the prospect of having breathe in our lungs to live another day. Hearing of the importance of the economy for most presents the image of dollars with that image in mind while gripped with a virus that in contrast is the symbol of fear and death it makes the prospect of valuing money cold and of little importance.

In a world with a narrow view the answer is quite simple what has the most value, life, and the prospect of living another day. But we all know the world is not easily placed in a narrow view, we know there are many variables, life is never simple, and although challenging as today is we must be open to all angles of this question.

If you are engaged thus far I beg you at this point to ask yourself a simple question. What does living your life mean to you?

What do you value each and every day, what brings meaning to your existence, what drives you to wake up each morning and then fall asleep each night with satisfaction?

For me this is feeling fulfilled, a daily sense of my life having purpose, accomplishment, pride in my work, love of family, grace of God, and joy. For others they may describe this differently but we all share a common bond of life having meaning even though that meaning may be different for each and every one of us.

Now before you feel you are sitting through a sermon let’s answer the question that started this conversation, how is valuing the American economy not putting money over lives. As mentioned life is not simple neither is the economy it’s not just the image of dollars that’s only a component. In our daily lives what we find most fulfilling often involves how we earn a living, this may not be the case for all of us but many find joy in what they do as a career.

The living you earn in turn provides for your family, allows for recreation, new experiences such as travel, education opportunities for yourself, your children, work can be satisfying, it can also better those around. Our first responders the position they are in is a path chosen out of passion to help others but it is also a career that pays a living. In short without earning a living our lives go without the ability to meet our needs. A worship of money can be evil but realizing what money does for our daily lives in realizing that there is no value in the tangible money the value is on what is intangible all the proceeds from our earnings that support the needs of our lives along with the betterment of them. If you visualize the economy as what it provides for your life rather than as a tangible inanimate object you quickly realize that living our lives and having a life worth living goes hand and hand with the economy.

In other words it’s the fuel that drives our lives, gives us the sense of purpose, and the ability maintain all that we find important and value. You can’t have one without the other if we sacrifice our economy over a virus we are in equal jeopardy of facing the same outcome loss of life.

I wish all of you safety, health, joy, and prosperity. The power is in your hands to protect all that has value in our lives let’s not make unnecessary sacrifices, God Bless!