Minister's Post, Fri May 28

Covid Review

Worldwide.
The Worldwide numbers are not reliable, and likely are greatly underestimating the actual prevalence of Covid-19. These numbers may nevertheless give us an indication of trends.

7DMA of new cases per day, worldwide, as of:
May 13: 733,224. One-week change, May 6 to May 13: -7.6%
May 20: 624,690. One-week change, May 13 to May 20: -15%
May 27: 538,292. One-week change, May 20 to May 27: -14%

7DMA of deaths per day, worldwide, as of:
May 13: 12,665. One-week change, May 6 to May 13: -2.1%
May 20: 12,329. One-week change, May 13 to May 20: -2.7%
May 27: 11,280. One-week change, May 20 to May 27: -8.5%

United States.
7DMA of new cases per day, US, as of:
May 13: 36,598. One-week change, May 6 to May 13: -21%
May 20: 28,833. One-week change, May 13 to May 20: -21%
May 27: 23,060. One-week change, May 20 to May 27: -20%

New cases per day are now at the lowest they have been since Jun 15, 2020.

7DMA of deaths per day, US, as of:
May 13: 635. One-week change, May 6 to May 13: -8.2%
May 20: 593. One-week change, May 13 to May 20: -6.6%
May 27: 526. One-week change, May 20 to May 27: -11%

Deaths per day are now at the lowest they have been since Jul 6, 2020. We seem to be headed out of the woods, but do remember that people are still dying from this.

ICYMI ("In Case You Missed It")

Here's the May 23 service, "Flowers!"



Practice of the Week

Do What You Can. That’s a slogan you probably already employ: a double reminder to act as you’re able and not worry about what you can’t change. But there’s a psychological phenomenon called learned helplessness. Learned helplessness can be powerful. Elephants can be induced to stay tied with a rope they could easily break. Google it: learned helplessness.

The flip side is to let go of what you can’t change. Focus on what you can do: for yourself, to bring more joy and compassion into your life and less reactivity – and for the world, such as bearing witness to the suffering of others and letting it move your heart, staying informed, and looking for opportunities to make a material difference, such as helping at a homeless shelter.

So ask yourself: How could I pull my time, money, energy, attention, or worry away from stones that will never give blood or houses built on sand — and instead, shift these resources to where they will actually make a difference? Challenge assumptions, like: "Oh, I just couldn't do that" Are you sure?

Nkosi Johnson, a child in South Africa, was born with HIV, and died when he was twelve. Yet before his death, he was a nationally known advocate for people with AIDS. His "mantra," as he called it, was:

"Do all you can, with what you have, in the time you have, in the place where you are."

For more about this, see the post, Do What You Can.

See also our SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY