Читать книгу Leading with Empathy - Gautham Pallapa - Страница 21

Religious and devout people visit places of worship to receive hope, peace of mind, strength, and spiritual guidance. Due to the pandemic, churches, temples, mosques, and other places of worship had to close overnight, affecting people of all faiths. There were the cancellations of services, festivals, observances, pilgrimages, and Sunday schools. People felt isolated and alone. Many religious organizations offered worship services through video conferencing and live streaming. However, people have expressed that they do not feel the same spiritual connection and peace as before.

Diwali, the festival of lights in India, is usually celebrated by over 800 million people worldwide. This festival involves the lighting of lamps, exchanging gifts, celebrating with friends and family, and lots of fireworks. COVID-19 restrictions severely limited these activities, with an estimated 60 percent reduction in social interaction.³⁵ Other religious events have been significantly impacted as well. About 4.55 million tourists visited Israel in 2019, but this was reduced by 81 percent in 2020³⁶ —a mere 850,000 tourists. Hajj, Islam's most important annual pilgrimage, which usually has more than 2 million people attend every year, was limited to only 1,000 people due to social distancing and crowd control measures implemented by Saudi Arabia. International travelers were barred from the Hajj for the first time in decades.³⁷

Advocates of many religions appealed to their followers to take safety precautions and embrace their spirituality to deal with challenges related to global crises. Muslim clerics emphasized the government regulations by issuing fatwas³⁸ and encouraging their communities to practice social distancing and self-isolation. Pope Francis urged Christians to follow the protocols and stay united in difficult times. The unprecedented global crises made millions of Americans embrace worship as an essential part of life.³⁹ According to a PEW Research Center report,⁴⁰ more than half of adults admitted to praying for an end to the virus, with women and the elderly constituting a large portion of the adults.