Changes during the era of the Virus...

A few have blogged here about this topic. And the focus has often been on how folks seem a bit kinder. Sharing food with the needy, visiting infirm elderly to check on them, driving just a little more gently, and so on.
For some, it has allowed time for reflection, and even prayer, for each person after their own tradition. Indeed, I know nonreligious sorts, who say that the time alone has brought them back to earlier times in their lives, when perhaps worshiping at home, or with others, was common.
Of course, the royal scam has always been obvious to freer thinkers. Smother them with it all as kids, and it'll stick. And on it goes, sometimes even to hate and war. Little argument here.
When I was a boy, we had a small failing orthodox Synagogue in the neighborhood, as successful members had long ago moved away from our area. The grizzled kindly Rabbi had me in each Sabbath Saturday, to work the electric switches and gas light jets for him, acts forbidden by his laws. He rarely spoke, but did share a wisdom full prayer now and again, in broken English. Always appreciated, even at my age. Each time, 35 cents was my pay. Into the Church collection basket.
Naively, thinking as a budding ecumenical, I mentioned this to one of our priests. These, as were some nuns, were a brutal lot when it came to religion. (When they weren't busy poking altar boys up the homosexual glory hole.) This guy knuckled my head, and said such visits must stop, or I'd never make it to heaven.
So sure, much of organized religious tradition is of questionable value. Yet we know that many, perhaps most, individuals seem to feel a need for such, often years after the indoctrinations of youth. There's something about many of us humans that seems to get great comfort from it all. Either alone before bed, or in massive gatherings of the faithful. Lots occurs in twelve step addictions treatment meetongs. And the World War Two men in our family liked to say, that there were no atheists in fox holes.
Latter in my youth, in my last undergraduate year at Juniorversity, I lived with a German professor and his very religious German neice, Fraeulein Emmy, both helping with my poverty. He rode a tank, in the generals' rank, spending 5 years in Gulagville, and she had her share of the German Blitz, having lost family. I was the typical adolescent, up to my ears with readings of Mao and Marx, and had arguments against anything religious. We all finally gave up on each other, and no longer spoke of faith.
I now realize the errors of my ways. I'm hardly a Bible thumper, and in fact, now and again only visit Quaker meetings, with silence and no leaders, holding it all up to the Light, as it were.. Wish we could learn important things gently, and early in life.
Instead of being whacked up side the head by a little hard earned wisdom.