News

April 30, 2020

‘Be Still Mondays’ offers a day of quiet reflection

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NEWARK – Be still.

It’s not something most people experience in their normal daily lives.

But these are not normal times. These are dangerous times. These are times of mourning for many. For others, these times are reminders of mortality, of luck and recovery, of ‘there but for the grace of God go I.”

These are also times of unexpected blessings. Times to spend at home with family, times of reflection, introspection. Times to reconsider paths taken, to plan, to dream, to formulate goals, and forge values.

These are times that require government’s guiding hand, to keep citizens informed and safe. In his daily 5 p.m. Facebook Live briefings, Mayor Ras J. Baraka reiterates how dangerous these times are. He has imposed, by his own words “draconian measures” to keep people off the street and, when in public, masked and respectful of social distancing. For citizens, these are not times to be defiant. For government, these are not times to be tolerant. These are the times to make the best decisions to keep people alive.

“If we continue business as usual, those numbers will continue to grow. So we are asking everybody, stay home, stay inside, stay alive,” Mayor Baraka said when he announced “Be Still Mondays.”

As more businesses and people cooperate, the softer side of “Be Still Mondays” is beginning to emerge and the Mayor hopes to appeal to the “higher humanity” of people to continue practice sheltering-in-place and maintain social distance, and respect the Monday respite he has offered.

Calling the COVID-19 crisis our “Noah Moment” in a recent briefing, the Mayor said, “This is a test of our strength as a community. This is a test for our love for one another. This is our time to come together to protect our families. This is time to think about something greater than ourselves.”

“Be Still Mondays” is a good time to reflect on all that. These are the times to relish the quiet, and let the silence speak to you.

- Newark News