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A year ago on Saturday, the country entered its first phase of lockdown, although some have adhered to the guidelines better than others. Three hundred and sixty-five days later, Covid-19 has strangled more than 530,000 lives in the world’s most prosperous country – about one-fifth of the global death toll.
Despite a bumpy rollout campaign in some states, many anticipate a summer filled with cuddles, dining, vacations, concerts, sporting events, beers in bars, worship services, in-person learning , crowded parties, museums and cinemas – among other pleasures we took for granted.
After receiving his second dose of the vaccine, Joe Sanders, 93, of Princeton, West Virginia, told CNN last month that he had no bold plans; he was just anxious to slip out of the nursing home, where he had been confined for his safety, for a little country ham and red-eyed sauce.
“I was really relieved and I hope I get out of here and do some things,” Sanders said. “That kind of support keeps you going, instead of feeling like you’re going to be there until the end.”
Hope has also been a valuable weapon. This is one of the many things Americans have learned over the past 12 months.
Other courses:
1. On resilience
It wasn’t always pretty. The pandemic has revealed our boast, as well as our naivety and divisions, but we have learned to adapt to the most devastating episode in recent history.
Not only did we get used to the jarring disruptions that accompanied pandemic life – at work, at school, in our social lives – we did so by navigating the busiest hurricane season on record and racially calculating. that had been simmering for a long time.
It was far from a uniform effort, but obviously we showed our courage, our resilience. The overwhelming majority of us continued to wear masks and avoid large gatherings to protect ourselves and others until the cavalry arrived in the form of vaccines.
Recovery seems near, but we would do well to remember those of us who have lost loved ones and livelihoods. They could have been any of us, and for them, the effects of the pandemic will linger long after the final phase of vaccination. The best prescription? A certain collective compassion.
2. On the sacrifice
What we are willing to sacrifice in the event of a disaster ranges from next to nothing to almost everything.
Even the loudest leaders about the virtues of masks, distancing and staying at home couldn’t help but go to the barber shop or a Michelin-starred restaurant. They set a terrible example, but their temptations are not unrelated. Who among us didn’t want an inch or two of cuts, or expertly prepared surf and turf?
Yet many of us decided we could wait. High-profile events grabbed the headlines, but in the media spotlight there were tens of millions of people giving up favorite parts of their lives to save others.
It wasn’t all a choice, of course. Many businesses have closed their doors. Hospitals and nursing homes have banned visits. Events were called off and travel banned, but we would be wrong to ignore the sacrifices that came with them, which amounted to tiny acts of heroism and undoubtedly saved myriad lives.
3. On our elders
Knowing that a loved one is dying alone is excruciating, as is not being there to ease their pain. Saying goodbye via Zoom or from a parking lot is heartbreaking.
Before the pandemic, there was an epidemic of isolation and depression among the elderly, and the country in general got low marks on how it took care of its elderly. Older Americans already lacked physical contact and saw people’s faces more than most. The pandemic has amplified these shortcomings in a profound way.
The coronavirus has focused on the elderly with a particularly deadly effect, and Americans have been slow to mobilize and protect them. Take Governor Andrew Cuomo, initially seen as a mainstay and model of the Covid-19 response: he now faces allegations he has obscured the death toll among New York nursing homes.
America is not exceptional here. In September, several months after the start of the pandemic, the director-general of the World Health Organization expressed his disappointment to hear a colleague say that the death toll around the world was “good” because the victims were for most of them old.
“No, when the elderly die, it is not good. It is moral bankruptcy,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Every life, whether young or old, is precious and we must do everything to save it.”
Bottom Line: We can take better care of our seniors.
4. On who is essential
Covid-19 has highlighted the need for many professions. Topping the list, medical professionals and teachers are underpaid, while doctors take their Hippocratic Oath seriously, too often at their own risk.
People employed in agriculture and the food and beverage industries, as well as delivery drivers, are vital to keeping people healthy at times like these. Janitors, police and social workers also put their safety on the line.
In a nation that places immense value, some might say unbalanced, on athletes and celebrities, the pandemic has forced a reassessment of priorities, which are essential. Now that Covid-19 has laid this bare, will it stay?
5. On versatility
It was only to last a few weeks. Despite all the damage caused by the pandemic, we have shown that we can pivot.
We now know that almost anything can be delivered to our doors. We learned to socialize online, on a porch or a yard – BYOB, of course. Working from home and distance learning hasn’t been ideal – in fact, it’s been quite taxing for many – but we’ve found ways to make it work, and in some cases, better.
Living rooms, dining rooms, basements, guest bedrooms and rear sheds have become (almost) functional office spaces. Neighbors have come together to form modules, where children can connect with their teachers from afar, while easing the burden on parents who still have to work and pay their bills, regardless of the state of the world.
At the same time, the effects of the foreclosure rippled through the same racial and socio-economic disparities as many ailments in society. Many believe that the education divide has widened. While we’ve all been in the mood to pull our hair out, we’re still assessing the pandemic’s real influence on mental health, and experts are concerned about the ripple effects on Generation C, Generation Covid.
6. On technology
The technology has been extremely helpful, whether it’s getting us to the nearest immunization clinic, sending a grocery list to a delivery service, entertaining us, seeing doctors and therapists from a distance, to educate our children or to communicate with our friends, family and colleagues. We also learned that many of these meetings could have been emails.
But it was not all easy.
The technological landscape has moved away from the poor, denying many access to important innovations. Social media is a blessing and a curse. Video conferencing is aging fast. Ordering is not as rewarding as going to a restaurant. In-person worship takes precedence over viewing services on a laptop. “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Tenet” would have been more fun in the theater. And while we owe D-Nice, Post Malone, Norah Jones and others our gratitude for the distractions they have given us, nothing duplicates live music.
7. On science
Science is amazing and in many ways is the only thing that can save us whether we believe it or not. Science, of course, has produced several vaccines in record time and provided us with essential advice on how to protect ourselves.
Too many people have chosen to ignore the latter, but those who have heeded the science can take credit for helping save lives.
We have learned, however, that science does not always change as quickly as the problems it aims to solve. Most worrying is that when science emerges, some will exploit uncertainties for political gain, and even our best experts can be wrong when science is new and fuzzy.
8. On the truth
In the age of the Internet, where most of the answers to life’s questions are just a few keystrokes away, some of us still struggle to reach the truth and the facts. This is nothing new. In 2017, CNN felt the need to launch an internal advertising campaign targeting those who sell disinformation.
The struggle to find the truth has inflicted deadly consequences on us during the pandemic. The exacerbating problems are those of us who are so committed to our civil liberties that we are willing to risk hurting ourselves and others. Add to that some slanderous characters who will politicize anything, encouraged by the rulers they’ve put in power and others who put the economy on lives, and you have a toxic recipe for dealing with a deadly epidemic. .
It put an exclamation mark on something many already knew: the truth cannot be chosen, but many believe it can.
9. On the strength and come together
We often have can’t count on politicians to bail us out (not like US companies can). Some leaders may fly to Utah or Cancun when calamity strikes or hesitate about relief checks as people get sicker and hungrier, or the electric bill is due, but to in many ways we can count on our fellow Americans.
Among the headlines chronicling the bad behavior were tales of selflessness and triumph: restaurateurs feeding the hungry, doctors treating the poor, musicians providing respite from chaos, volunteers helping ex-inmates or drug addicts, among many others.
This raises an important question about how we, as a country, define strength: does it cling to our freedom, the consequences damned, or reach out and sacrifice ourselves – even while enduring one. bulky mask – to ensure the safety of our fellow Americans?
10. In progress
There is an old saying about history repeating itself, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t apply to post-pandemic life.
If we engage in denial or ignore the lessons given to us, we might start over – and maybe sooner than we’d like.
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