The corona virus pandemic is getting worse in the U.S. I now know several people who have contracted the virus and are hospitalized. The reality that the rest of the world has been living is now hitting home.
My heart goes out to the medical care givers who are suffering because of the flood of casualties and do not have the right personal protection equipment, so they are now getting sick. My nephew is an emergency room doctor in LA and he's got two very young children whom he can't see out of fear of passing the infection to them. My daughter is a psychologist working in a Chicago hospital, but thankfully they are not seeing patients in the flesh right now... of course, this situation is exactly when people feel most traumatized and need their therapist most. My cousin's daughter is a pediatric doctor in the Bronx which is currently ground zero for the disease in the U.S. From them I'm hearing the reality of the pandemic.
So, when I read about people not complying with local and state government orders to shelter in place and stay home, I'm livid. When I see kids going to beaches on spring break, I'm livid. When I see people whine on social media about being bored, I'm livid.
When did people become this selfish?
Today I read that Dr. Anthony Fauci who is the country's leading specialist on infectious disease is getting death threats and needed to hire security, I'm livid.
When did people get to be so mean to each other?
I've also seen countless acts of kindness and caring happening, and for these I'm grateful.
It's very hard not to get into politics as holding some of the blame for the bad things we're experiencing. Politics is also responsible for mega trillions of dollars that will soon be going out to help people who are hurting and struggling to survive. Our current confused leadership, and I use that term lightly, is lacking in the very thing we need most right now. Someone we can believe 1) cares about all of us, 2) has the skills to move us as quickly as possible out of this crisis, and 3) shares the good stories to help us cope.
People are talking about getting back to normal. But to me, the recent normal is all messed up. We are much better not returning to the highly charged divisiveness this country has been experiencing. This pandemic is exactly the type of opportunity to bring everyone together again. The gift of time we now have because we're not all running around is exactly what we need to devise a better way to live after the crisis is past.
Are we smart and disciplined enough to grab these rare chances to make things better?
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