Not Why, but How

   We are now in Week Nine of the "New York Pause."  63 days.  Tomorrow starts Week Ten.  There is talk of "Quarantine Fatigue," of people letting their guard down, not wearing masks, not standing six feet apart, and not staying home.
   In another era, there would be less complaining about compliance and more patience.  When did we become people who could not accept hardship on behalf of the health and safety of others?  When did we become a population of whiners, asking why this is happening to us instead of asking how we can get through this together?
   It's true that the pandemic didn't strike with the same intensity across all fifty states.  I live in New York, the hardest hit state in the Union.  Governor Cuomo, in his daily address, praises New Yorkers for taking this pandemic seriously.  As he points out, he couldn't possibly mandate that several million New Yorkers voluntarily stay home from work, wear masks when in public, and only go out for essentials.  We chose to do those things.  And, as a result, we have lowered the growth of the Pandemic in our state to a near-plateau.  There are fewer deaths, fewer new cases.  We have overcome the enemy!
   Now, we're poised for Phase One of the re-opening plan.  Half the regions in New York are now beginning, slowly, to return to some semblance of normalcy.  Why, next weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, our beaches on Lake Ontario will be open!  Last week it snowed, and next week we can go swimming, theoretically.   My fear is that the relaxing of the quarantine guidelines will result in a resurgence of this disease.  Cuomo speaks of "tightening the valve," of watching the numbers, and reacting accordingly.  If new cases, deaths, and hospitalizations go up, we will tighten up on the social distancing.  This is a cautious, measured approach.  Testing will be a key factor in how smoothly we can fully re-open our state.
   Meanwhile in Washington, the man in the White House has suggested that the U.S. has more cases of COVID19 because we are testing more people.  His solution:  Stop testing, and the number of cases will go down!  As of Friday, he has fired the fifth member of his administration who holds some form of accountability over him and his people.  The Republican Party stands by and watches him dismantle our system of checks and balances.  Are they even asking why?   I see this as a parallel to the logic of our mothers and fathers while in a crisis:  It's not why, but how we deal with this situation.  Whether it be pandemic or political chaos, our approach should be the same.  Seek truth. Listen deeply.  Find a way to control the outbreak.  And do it.  Not asking why, but how.  How can we eradicate the disease that reigns in our government?
   Vote.

 

COVID19: Farewell to Normalcy

  When I began this blog in 2016, it was intended to be a discussion of grief and loss brought on by death.  Now as I return to it, it's an entirely new discussion of grief and loss - of normalcy.  As I write this, our country and the rest of the world are reeling from a new crisis, the COVID19 virus.  I wish I could say we didn't see this coming, but some of us did.  As long ago as 2006, Dr. Larry Brilliant foretold this pandemic through writings, talks, and as a consultant for the disaster film, "Contagion."  We didn't listen.
In December, China experienced the first cases of COVID19.  They tried to warn us.  Our leaders didn't listen.  By January, South Korea and Italy began experiencing the virus, with quite a bit of television coverage.  Our President called this a hoax, propagated by the Democrats.   Concerned scientists tried to influence his opinions.  It was of no avail.
   Finally, cases of the virus began to explode in Washington State, then New York City, spreading to New York State, where I live.  Within the space of one week, the cases in New York, now the highest concentration in the U.S., rocketed from 1400 on March 18th to 8377 on March 21st.  I had heard on the news that the virus would expand exponentially, roughly doubling every six days.  Meanwhile, cases in Italy have overwhelmed the system.  At last count (this morning), I read that there are over 8000 cases in New York, 20,000 cases  in the U.S., and 277, 300 cases in the world.  These are only the cases that are being tested, verified, and reported.  It's suspected that there are many, many more.
   One week ago today was the last "normal" day I've had.  I went to my YMCA to work out, came home, went to the grocery, and gassed up my car.  By that evening, all the schools in my county, the YMCAs, and most churches had closed.  As of tomorrow, all of New York State, with the exception of "essential businesses" (grocery stores, pharmacies, media, doctors' offices, hospitals) will be asked to stay home.  100% of the workforce not included in the "essential" category may not return to work until further notice.
   It could be weeks.  Or months.
   There was panic in the grocery stores.  Long lines, some fights that required police intervention, and shortages ensued.  People are hoarding things, causing further shortages.  In short, our lives are beginning to resemble a disaster movie.  "Contagion," perhaps?
   The international stock market continued the tumble that had begun a few weeks ago.  At this point we estimate that it has lost approximately 50% of its value...not a pretty picture for retirees.  Not at all.
   What will become of us?  We honestly have no idea.  Hospitals are being built in state fairground buildings.  Hotels, motels, and college dormitories will be taken over to house patients, and possibly military troops who are called in to help organize food pantries and keep order in the streets.  There are currently so many shortages of medical supplies that some hospitals are asking civilians to sew home-made medical masks.
   When I began this blog 4 years ago, I had no idea that it would become a place to discuss an international pandemic.  It was a blog created to be an intergenerational discussion of grief, as I was taking a course on death and dying at seminary and needed a project that would be open to all for discussion.
   Now it's going to be a discussion of what a pandemic looks like.  Our lives are changed forever.  How are you coping?  Feel free to discuss, and add to the conversation.  And truly, yesterday never looked so good.  And yes, it is hard to say goodbye.