Attention Scomo:

Happy Birthday.

This blogpost is a birthday present for you.

In your maiden speech in the House Of Representatives you defined the nation which you now lead as “a free country.”

That freedom is now threatened from more than one direction.

The last time the world faced an economy in more trouble than we are in now, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said this to his nation: “……. the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Roosevelt said this in an inaugural soeech in which he took the oath of office with his hand on the Bible open to the 13 verse chapter 1 Corintinans 13.

Among other things, this chapter says that love “rejoices in the truth” and “has no fear; it does not worry”.

The pestilence of Coronavirus is real. People are very scared.

But if the world hides from this danger too long, the cure will produce an economic catastrophe worse than the disease. Suicides. Starvation. Monumental stress, likely to lead, if uncontrolled, to violence, muder and even war.

It just isnt given to us mortal human beings on this beautiful planet to always have the perfect safety we crave.

Any promise of perfect safety is an illusion.

I prefer truth.

Thats what I love.

May God Bless you, Prime Minister, in the very challenging task of keeping people as safe as possible and keeping alive the economy which all those people need.

I pray they have the courage to help you convert retreat into advance.

Geoff Fox, 13th May, 2020