We humans, made in God’s image, need face-to-face communication and interaction with others. The isolation created by the coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. We long to see each other’s faces.

We have had to socially distance ourselves, wear facemasks, and avoid shaking hands to limit transmission of the virus. But human beings were not created to be isolated, but rather to communicate and socially engage with one another. Not doing so is unhealthy.

The year 2020 brought a massive locust plague that caused widespread destruction of crops and livelihoods in East African nations (Deutsche Welle, January 5, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic has only added to the catastrophe, and about 35 million people have been left in a state of “food insecurity.”

Riots and demonstrations rocked a number of American cities in 2020, but the protest in Washington, DC, on January 6 was something different. On that day, protestors claiming to be supporters of President Donald Trump pushed their way into the U.S. Capitol Building, resulting in widespread damage and five deaths. Protestors apparently felt emboldened by comments made by the president in the weeks leading up to the Electoral College certification and his remarks at a rally immediately preceding the onslaught.