I said at the beginning of all this that the Covid-19 pandemic would take us to places we’ve never been before.
And here we are.
We are in a very strange place where the simple act of wearing a face mask declares one’s political affiliation. Where armed terrorists storm a state legislative building, intimidate lawmakers, and are treated with kid gloves. Where ignoring and undermining the only tools we have to fight a fatal disease is applauded as some malignant assertion of liberty. Where those least among us – the “heroes” of retail and restaurant – are expected to sacrifice their lives for others’ convenience and wealth.
Any crisis is a test, and as we hit 100,000 deaths, Covid has proven to be a trial of of us individually and collectively, and on many levels.
It is a test of our empathy and understanding that others are as important as ourselves. All you have to do is look around you at a store, and observe who is wearing a face mask and who is not. Those without clearly do not regard others’ lives as important as their own, and by their actions are quite willing to sacrifice their neighbors, families and friends for the sake their own convenience. Or worse, as a protest statement somehow tied to their liberty. Get over yourself, son. It’s a damn piece of cloth over your piehole, not some insidious assault on your right to free speech, buy a gun, or whatever inane offense you’ve hyped it into.
It is a test of our scientific literacy. Youtube videos presenting false narratives and fabricated science have sprouted like weeds in an abandoned mall parking lot. So many of us lack the basic science knowledge, and more importantly, critical thinking skills, needed to see past the shallow facade of these puppet shows.
It is a test of our economic system, but not in the way the right wing is touting. The pandemic has pulled aside the curtain of trickle down economics to reveal where the real power in the economy lies. Interesting, isn’t it, that when the average Joe & Nancy stop buying, the engine of capitalism stalls out. Remember this lesson the next time someone tries to tell you that it is the CEOs and investors that run the economy. It isn’t. It’s you.
It is a test of our beliefs in equality. It has been argued that some lives, because they are not widgets of production in the maw of capitalism, should be sacrificed. Or that other lives, because they are easily replaceable cogs in the money machine, can be sacrificed so that we can have our haircuts and our oh-so-critical dining experiences.
As I stand here and look at the cracked landscape of our society, I am appalled by the selfishness, greed, and inconsiderateness of my fellow Americans.
Yet at the same time, I am hopeful. I am given hope by the mother who writes daily about the tribulations and frustrations of raising her children in quarantine, yet who always sees the love and the beauty in her family’s situation. I am given hope by the people delivering groceries to their neighbors who cannot leave their houses even for essentials. I am given hope by the leaders who are demonstrating what true leadership means, by managing an impossible situation with determination, fairness and truth.
Fortunately for us, Covid-19 is not a pass/fail test. Like any good test, it will leave us – as it eventually will – with a clearer understanding of what we don’t know as well as a surer confidence in what we do understand.
And as with any good test, we will learn from it. We will glean new knowledge from the effort of having taken it. So take a moment and sharpen your pencils. The test isn’t over yet. We still have time to improve our score. And if you’re stuck on a problem, it is ok to ask your neighbor for help.
Stay healthy, and look to the light.