When people think the sky is falling, there’s an obvious risk in saying “Yes, it is … but it’s also not.”
I’m going to take that risk.
Yes, the coronavirus is awful. It’s killed roughly 12,000 worldwide so far.
But it could have killed more. Believe it or not, the world is better now at containing and blunting viruses than it’s ever been. The Bubonic Plague killed 75 to 200 million. Last century’s Spanish Flu killed as “few” as 17 million, as many as 100 million.
Yes, your retirement account has gone all “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” on you. But you know how few people in America even have a 401K? About half. Your investments will recover.
Yes, it sucks to be stuck at home all the time. There’s only so much Netflix you can watch, only so many rooms you can paint, only so many of your spouse’s tics and habits you can suddenly find fault with. But if your boss had told you a month ago, “Hey, stay home and work, or take a few weeks off entirely and catch up on your crossword puzzles,” you’d have been delighted. Use the time to protect yourself and your loved ones and be useful to those who have less than you. Maybe learn something. Finish the sentence: “I’ve always wanted to …” Then do that.
Yes, the Trump administration (fact, not fiction) grossly and repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the crisis early on – primarily to protect the stock market – and has continued to be incremental and grudging about solutions. (That the greatest nation on earth can’t produce enough facemasks and ventilators is ridiculous.)
But maybe that will finally, finally, finally spur us to put and keep people in office who actually care about more than their wealthy friends and who think we can do a heckuva lot better when it comes to preventive measures, and just about everything else, too.
Yes, people are losing jobs. And, yes, there’s no silver lining there. Losing a job sucks, period. The best we can do is demand that the government help the unemployed, the underemployed and those who are losing hours. We can also support local restaurants by ordering take-out and tipping generously and buying gift certificates or services in advance (one guy on Twitter bought a years-worth of lunches in advance from his favorite restaurant). Remember to buy local.
Yes, it sucks that just about every event in the country has been canceled. But baseball will return. Concerts will be rescheduled. So will conferences, speeches etc. Maybe we’ll appreciate them more when they come back. Or maybe not. Do we really need business conferences?
Yes, we’re all afraid. But think how relatively few of us are suffering in any real or lasting way. Also, it’s wise to remember that there’s a big difference between legitimate coronavirus concerns and the fear of coronavirus. Fear is a productive emotion, designed to prevent us from being stomped on by a mastodon or rubbing our eyes after touching the gas pump handle. But it’s only useful in small doses. In large doses, fear is toxic to the mind, spirit and body. If you’re going to be fearful of anything, be afraid of worrying too much.
Yes, we’re seeing the small, lizard-brain side of some people. (Toilet paper hoarders, I’m looking right at you.) But as a friend of mine said on Facebook: “The times I have ventured out, people generally seem like they are trying extra-hard to be decent to each other.” I’ve seen that, too. Way to go, people. How about we keep that up in normal times, too?
The reality of the coronavirus – as bad as it is and as bad as it will get – is it is only temporary.
Life will return to normal at some point.
Until it does, let’s try to help one another, OK?
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
I see why you never got into politics, you make way to much sense.
I would honestly love to get into politics.
Thanks Andy.
May we be reminded about FDR’s famous words about fear. His first inaugural address is a good read about leadership in difficult times. See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_inauguration_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt
I’m a big FDR fan, and he was right then. And it applies now. Rational fear is healthy. Irrational fear is another form of virus.
Thank you, Andy! It’s just what we all need.
My pleasure, as always. I figure if I’m thinking it, others are too.
Exactly!
I have a Florida reader? And thank you!
Once again, thank you for all your posts that are so filled with common sense.
Me? Common sense? Purely accidental, I assure you.
Not to minimize in any way the sacrifices being made by those on the front lines of this crisis….thank you for a badly needed sense of perspective!
Have you noticed the people who want to control what everyone says and thinks. They have us all second guessing our perspectives, basically using any crisis as a club” “Oooo, you must be a bad person because you’re not behind our president during this tough time.”
always we are grateful for you and your sensibility !! you have tons of common sense! that is as others have said and know why you are not in politics-but we are sooo very grateful for your column-we need and appreciate you.
Aw, thanks, Sharon. I appreciate that .
Your columns always make so much sense. Keep it coming.
As long as people are reading. Thank you, Sue.
AHHH….words of wisdom from top to bottom! Yes, let’s help each other, the best cure for what ails any of us!
Thanks, RAV. Keep safe.
Thank you, Andy! Wisdom and common sense in every word you wrote!
Thanks, Nancy. Much appreciated!
What did you mean in your, “caring more about wealthy friends,” sentence? Does not appear to go along with the rest.
And, maybe too early to take the long view. We do not know yet, whether we are heading into a Black Plague situation.
He’s caring a lot more about companies and their stock price than about human beings.
And it’s true we don’t know the scale of this yet and won’t til it’s over, but based on the mortality rate, the chances of that many dying, to me (total guess) seems remote.
Doesn’t matter the outcome. If nothing comes of it the King will say he was the reason it didn’t. If it does then it’s the Democrats and Obama’s fault.