On Saturday a year ago, the country went through the first phase of the lockdown, although some follow the guidelines better than others. Three hundred and fifty-five days later, Covid-19 has claimed the lives of more than 530,000 people in the world’s richest country – about one-fifth of global deaths.
Despite a difficult rollout campaign in some states, many people see summer hugs, dinners, holidays, concerts, sports events, beer at bars, worship services, personal education, parties, museums and packed movie theaters. The joy that we took for granted.
After receiving a second dose of his vaccine, Joe Sanders, 93, of Princeton, West Virginia, told CNN last month that he did not have a bravery plan; He was just waiting to get out of the nursing home, where he would be confined to his safety, to the small country ham and red eye gravy.
“I was really relieved, and I hope I get out of here and do some things,” Sanders said. “This kind of sustains you, instead of feeling you’ll be here until the end.”
Hope has also been a valuable weapon. That’s one of the many things Americans have learned in the last 12 months.
Other lessons:
1. On resilience
It wasn’t always beautiful. This epidemic has exposed our swagger and our naivety and divisions, but we have learned to adapt to the most devastating episodes in recent history.
At work, at school, in our social lives – we didn’t just compensate for epidemic-related disruptions – we did so while navigating the busiest hurricane season on record and during the long boiling ethnic count.
It was far from the same effort, but by all accounts, we showed our subtlety, our resilience. Most of us kept on donating masks until horsemen arrived in the form of vaccines and avoided large gatherings to protect ourselves and others.
Recovery appears imminent, but it would be good to remember those of us who have lost our loved ones and our lives. They can be any of us, and for them, the effects of the epidemic will last long after the final vaccination phase. The best prescription? Some collective compassion.
2. On sacrifice
The sacrifices we are willing to make in the event of a catastrophe are far from over.
Leaders also make a lot of noise on masks, distance and the qualities of staying at home, can’t help but go to a hair salon or a Michelin-star restaurant. They set a terrible example, but their temptation is not foreign. Who among us doesn’t want an inch or two of streamlined, or some skillfully prepared surf and turf?
Still, many of us are determined to wait. Super spreader events snatch the headlines, but in the light of the media millions of people were giving away favorite parts of their lives to save others.
Not everything was a choice, of course. Many businesses closed. Visits to hospitals and nursing homes were banned. Events were canceled and travel banned, but we will ignore the sacrifices that accompany it that save small acts of bravery and, of course, countless lives.
3. On our elders
Getting to know a loved one who dies alone is a balm, not to help alleviate their pain. Saying goodbye by zooming in or out of the parking lot is heartwarming.
Prior to the epidemic, there was an epidemic of loneliness and depression among seniors and the nation generally received low marks for how it cared for its elderly. Older Americans were already missing physical touch and looking at people’s faces more than most. The epidemic deepened these shortcomings.
Coronavirus is especially prevalent in the elderly due to its lethal effect, and Americans were slow to step in and protect it. Initially a proud and modeled Gov. of the Covid-19 response. Andrew Cuomo Law: He now faces charges that he obscured the death toll in New York nursing homes.
America is no exception here. In September, several months after the epidemic, the director general of the World Health Organization expressed frustration at a colleague saying that a large global death toll was “fine” because the victims were mostly elderly.
“No, that’s not right when the elderly are dying. It’s a moral bankruptcy,” Tedros han dhanom bre brieus said. “Every life, whether young or old, is precious and we must do everything we can to save it.”
Takeaway: We can take better care of our elders.
4. On who is required
Covid-19 highlighted the need for many businesses. At the top of the list, health care professionals and teachers are paid salaries, while doctors take their Hippocratic oath seriously. Often at their peril.
People who work in agriculture and the restaurant and grocery industries, as well as delivery drivers, are important to keep people healthy at such times. Doors, police and social workers also put them on the safety line.
In a nation that offers plenty of space, some might say the value of ops thugs and celebrities, the epidemic forced to re-evaluate priorities, who needs it. Now that the Covid-19 has left it open, will it stick?
5. On Versatility
This was only going to last for a few weeks. For all the damage caused by the epidemic, we show that we can be the main ones.
We now know that anything can be delivered to our door. Learned online, or we learned how to socialize on the porch or yard – BYOB, of course. The work of home and distance education has not been ideal – in fact, they were quite taxing for many people – but we have found ways to make them work, and in some cases, even better.
Living room, dining room, basement, spare bedroom and backyard shed (almost) office spaces have become functional. Neighbors band together to form pods, where children can interact with their teachers from a distance, while reducing the burden on parents who still have to work and pay bills, no matter what the state of the world.
At the same time, the effects of low down cadaver reflect the same racial and socio-economic inequalities as there are so many diseases of society. Many feel that the gap in education has widened. Even though we’ve all felt like getting a haircut, we’re still evaluating the real impact of the epidemic on mental health, and experts are concerned about the ripple effects on Generation C, Covid Pay generation.
6. On technology
The technology has been very helpful, whether it leads us to the nearest vaccination clinic, sending grocery lists to a delivery service, entertaining ourselves, seeing doctors and therapists from a distance, educating our children or joining our friends, family and colleagues. We also learned that we were able to do a lot of emails from those meetings.
But it’s not all easy.
The technological landscape has moved away from have-notes, rejecting many denials of important innovations. Social media is a blessing and a curse. Video conferencing gets old quickly. Ordering is not as enjoyable as eating. Personal worship watching services on a laptop. More fun in the “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Tenet” theaters. And while we thank D-Nice, Post Malone, Norah Jones, and others for the interruptions we’ve had, nothing replicates live music.
7. On science
Science is amazing and, in many ways, it is the only thing that can save us, whether we believe in it or not. Science, of course, gave many vaccines in record time and gave important guidance on how to protect yourself.
Many people choose to ignore the latter, but those who follow science can take some credit for saving lives.
However, we have learned that science does not always move forward in such a hurry as to solve problems. What is even more worrying is that when science is emerging, some will use uncertainties for a political end and when science is new and vague even our best experts can get the wrong guidance.
8. On the truth
In the age of the internet, when the answers to most of life’s questions are a few keystrokes away, some of us still struggle to reach the truth and facts. This is not new. In 2017, CNN Feeling the need to launch a home advertising campaign targeting people who are paddled in disonformation.
The struggle to find the truth has given us fatal consequences during the epidemic. The provocative things are those of us who feel so strongly about our civil liberties that we are willing to risk harming ourselves and others. Add in the tough characters who will do anything politics, be persuaded by the leaders they put in power and others who have put the economy to life, and you have a toxic recipe for a fatal outbreak.
This puts an exclamation point on something many already know: Truth cannot be chosen, but many think it can.
9. Comes on and with strength
We often Can’t rely on politicians to bail us out (corporate America can’t). Some leaders may move to Utah or Cancun when disasters strike or relief is sought when people are sick, there is a hunger or a power bill is due, but in many ways we can count on our fellow Americans.
The titles were stories of bad behavior, selflessness, selfishness and victory: doctors feeding the hungry, doctors treating the poor, musicians relieving chaos, volunteers helping ex-convicts or addicts, many more.
It raises an important question of how we, as a country, define power: whether it is clinging to our freedom, condemning the consequences, or reaching out and sacrificing – even enduring a burdensome mask. – To ensure the safety of our fellow Americans?
10. On the lesson
There is an old saying about history repeating itself, and there is no reason to believe that it will not apply in the afterlife.
If we fail or fail to reject the lessons given, we can do all this again – and perhaps sooner than we wish.
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