Many people go through life making the same mistakes over and over and over again.
This is true to a certain extent of everyone, for we all have engrained patterns of behaviour and thinking of which we may not even be aware.
Occasionally, though, something happens which brings us up short. Suddenly, in a moment of clarity or crisis, we do see where we have been going wrong. We do have fresh insight into our own default habits of thought and action. And we not only learn a few lessons, but actually start to change.
For quite a few people, if not everyone, the lockdown brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic has been just such a wake-up call. Many have commented on how much they have appreciated – perhaps to their surprise – being forced to slow down. Some have observed that it has given them an opportunity to reflect on what is important, to realise where they have got some aspects of life wrong, and to do things differently in the future.
Sadly, no such reflective moment seems to have come upon the UK government, which is said to be considering lifting restrictions on Sunday trading for the next 12 months in a bid to boost the economy, according to reports in The Times and Guardian newspapers.
Of course, an economic stimulus package is required in some way, shape or form. However, this specific proposal is heart-breakingly mistaken on many levels – economically, socially, commercially, culturally, environmentally and, most significantly from a Christian point of view of course, spiritually.
Paddy Lillis, of the trades union Usdaw, succinctly sums up the economic case against the idea in these words: 'Opening for longer will increase overheads but not necessarily take any more cash through the tills. The fact is that customers will not have more to spend just because the shops are open for longer.'
Then there is the effect on the lowest-paid members of society. Joe Dromey, a Labour politician, says: 'Scrapping Sunday trading laws will do little to boost the economy, but it will cause a lot of disruption to the lives of low paid retail workers who have kept the country going through this crisis. And you can bet that it will not be temporary.'
We might also think of the potential effect on smaller shops if larger stores have Sunday trading restrictions lifted. James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, says: 'Changing the current laws would serve only to displace trade from the local shops that have been keeping communities going during this pandemic.'
Culturally, it is out of step. The idea of a 24/7 economy had its moment some years ago, but then most people began to realise through bitter experience how misguided it was. Now, happily, the zeitgeist has moved on. As Rayhan Haque, the founder of the London Good Work Commission, says of the government proposals: 'This normalises a seven-day working culture, exactly the opposite of the better work-life balance people want post Covid-19.'
Environmentally, also, extending working hours is detrimental. One recent study suggested that if we spent ten per cent less time working, the carbon footprint would be reduced by almost 15 per cent. If we cut the hours we work by a quarter, the carbon footprint declines by more than a third.
But, most importantly, spiritually it is disastrously wrong. Jesus declares: 'No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon,' (Matthew 6v24) – wealth and consumerism. Jesus is quite clear: worshipping at the altar of Mammon is dangerous. Not for nothing have Christians often said: 'Keep Sunday special!' God is more important.
In the Second World War, Winston Churchill approved several national days of prayer. The ongoing pandemic has seen no similar response from Churchill's putative emulator Boris Johnson, despite his own brush with death. Instead, it seems economic concerns trump all others. It is as though we have learnt nothing these past decades.
As Christians we need to stand up and be counted on this. Write to your MP. Write to your Bishop if you're Anglican (or even if you're not!). Pray. On this issue, it happens that Christian belief is in tune with the current flow of thinking in society. It is time to act. What will you now do?
David Baker is an Anglican minister and journalist @Baker_David_A
