Covid-19 is our "You Know Who"
What a week, eh?
A mere 4 days ago, I was one of the many who were completely nonchalant. "Coronavirus? Pff, I'm not concerned at all. I work in a hospital, and we deal with infectious diseases all the time. It's just the media making their usual exaggerated hype, that's all. It will blow over in no time. Wash your hands and you will be fine."
I truly believed that. I was sure that Covid-19 would just be a blip on the radar, forgotten in a month, just to be replaced by more important issues like our bikini bodies.
It looks like I - and many of us - were wrong.
So I wanted to check in and see how all of you are doing.
I'm pretty sure you are as freaked out as I am. As much as I obsess about my own personal life, when it comes to global emergencies, I'm shockingly blase. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's an attitude I needed to adopt in order to stay sane and functional. With our hyper-connected world we get to hear/see/read EVERYTHING that's going on around the globe, and I can barely handle what's going on in my own tiny corner of the universe. That's why I usually don't comment/write about/engage in 99% of whatever is on the news or on Facebook. I simply don't have the strength or stamina to do it.
So at the beginning of this week, I thought I would deal with this crisis like I have with all the other countless crises I've encountered in my lifetime: only concern myself with what's in front of me.
Turns out: Covid-19 is in front of all of us.
I'm 40 years old. I've lived in Europe and in Canada, and in my lifetime, I haven't experienced any wars, droughts, shortages of food or essential services, or any pandemics. My generation has been incredibly lucky.
My parents grew up in a post-war Germany, my grandparents experienced the horrors of the war. They've lived through real hardship. I haven't.
But now, for the first time ever, we experience a real crisis. After we've collectively bypassed the nonchalant "it's no big deal"-stage, we're now in the horrible in-between-stage: will it really hit us and our loved ones, or won't it?
I have no idea. Nobody does. In times like these we can't wait or hope for definite answers, because nobody can give them.
But this is a time, more than what most of have ever experienced before, where we get to choose who we want to be.
Do we want to give into the first irrational manifestation of the panic and buy all the toilet paper?
-> Translation: Are we prepared to ignore others in order to make sure we are safe?
Do we want to be the people who staunchly insist that nothing is wrong?
-> Translation: We may not spread panic (which is a HUGE benefit), but are we inadvertently spreading the virus with our nonchalance?
Are we going to admit that we are scared and confused?
-> Translation: It's not of any help, but it means that we are all in the same frame of mind that connects us to each other.
For many of us, this is the first emergency that's bigger than any of us. It's bigger than gender, race, social standing, economical status, or any borders.
It's natural that we are freaked out and scared.
This is new to all of us; even though there have been pandemics in the past, none of us has lived through one before, and there are too many things we don't know yet about this one.
It's normal to be scared.
It's normal to freak out.
But, in the midst of all this uncertainty, remember this: we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.
(It's a Harry Potter quote, but it's certainly true during these trying times. Covid-19 is our "He Who Must Not Be Named".)
Here's what we know:
(click on image)
And here's what else I know:
We can face this crisis together, or alone. We only have to look at China and Italy, who've already been experiencing all the emotions we are feeling right now, to see what the right courses of action are:
Put the welfare of all of you before your own.
Cancel the trip.
Stay home.
Sacrifice your wedding or vacation, as hard as it may be. It's easier than losing someone's grandparent, or parent, or sick spouse.
If you planned a once-in-a-lifetime-trip and you have to cancel, I feel for you.
I really do.
I can only imagine how much this sucks.
But just imagine this: if your wedding date would have fallen anywhere in the late 40s to early 70s in the US, your sweetheart could have been conscripted at any time.
Canada did't have conscription, but many idealistic and enthusiastic men volunteered to fight anyway.
Loss and hardship were prevalent to every generation before ours.
We are still in the very early stages of adapting to this new insanity.
Let our generation be known for our bravery and kindness towards each other.
That's all that matters.
We fight united, together.