During this fourth wave of the pandemic, the government announced the implementation of a BC Vaccine Card to encourage people to get vaccinated, and help control the spread of the coronavirus.  Last week, there were fierce demonstrations against getting vaccinated, and the vaccine passport.  Nearly two thousand people protested around medical centers, believing these policies violate human rights and freedom of life.   They firmly oppose wearing masks, getting vaccinated, and vaccine passport policies.  Even when the Prime Minister attended election events in another province, demonstrators made rude and emotional insults, and hurled pebbles at him.     

         On Tuesday, I watched a news release by Global News originally aired on September 5.  It was an interview with a nurse who is unable to be vaccinated because of health and other factors.  Her husband of 25 years was infected with the virus and passed away on August 13 (a week before their 25th wedding anniversary!).  What was most painful for her was to see her husband's struggle to survive during the past five months of medical treatment, especially when her husband was put on a ventilator, and other life-sustaining machines.  She was totally traumatized.  As a result, she encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and said: "I don't want others to go through what my family has experienced.  You don't want to end up like my husband who only lived for forty-four years, leaving behind a 12-year-old, a 16-year-old, and me..... Please consider getting the vaccine."           

         At the same time, she also made a statement: "The next time somebody wants to scream that it is a violation of my personal rights and freedom, just remember it’s you taking away the rights and freedoms for others to actually live.”  

         Is it important to protect one's rights and freedom? Or is it more important to protect the lives of all people?  This is similar to our church life: Do I want the church to meet my own needs, or should I try my best to act in concert with the direction and vision of the church? 

         在新冠疫情第四波的反覆情況下，近日政府宣佈一連串的鼓勵全民接種疫苗及疫苗護照計劃，盼望對病毒的擴散能有所控制。上星期卻出現了反接種疫苗，與及反疫苗護照計劃的激烈示威行動。近二千人在街上示威反對，認為這是侵犯人權及人生自由的政策，堅決反對戴上口罩，反對接種疫苗，反對疫苗護照政策等等。甚至在總理出席任何地區的每一場競選活動，都有示威人仕作出不禮貌和情緒激動的辱罵。

          在週二看到一則Global News在九月五日網上發放的一則新聞。內容是訪問一位曾經因為種種健康及其它因素，而遲遲未有接種疫苗的一位女護士的不幸經歷。結果，他已婚二十五年的丈夫於八月十三日(他們二十五結婚週年紀念之前的一星期)因染上新冠肺炎而離世。最令她感到痛苦的，就是見到丈夫在過去五個多月的醫療過程中， 特別是在丈夫倚賴呼吸機及維持生命的機器上，掙扎求存的苦況，實在令她慘不忍睹。她最後鼓勵每一個人都接種疫苗說: “ 我不願意別人要經歷我所經歷的。你不想好像我丈夫一樣，他只活到四十四歲，留下了兩位十二歲與及十六歲的兒女與及我... 請你考慮接種疫苗。”

          與此同時，她亦作出一個宣告說:“ 當再有人大聲疾呼地抗議說: 這是違反了我的個人人權和自由時， 請你同時要記著: 這是你取去了別人生存的權利和自由” (The next time someone wants to scream that it is a violation of your personal rights and freedoms, just remember it’s you taking away the rights and freedoms for others to actually live.)。

          究竟保障自己權利和自由重要﹖抑或是保障全民的生命安全更為重要呢﹖同樣，教會生活都是相仿:我要教會配合我自己的需求，抑或是我應該盡力配合全教會的方向和異象呢﹖ 

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