The Evolution of Learning to Deal
Watching the world slowly grind to a halt is pretty surreal, especially when you consider that most of what we all deal with, in terms of precautions and preparations, is almost always local. The bulk of Florida and parts of Georgia may board up for a hurricane that’s still a week away, but no one else in the country would ever stop what they were doing, let alone the rest of the globe, for days and weeks at a time. For every other pending natural disaster, for every civil war, for every situation that causes someone to flee, there’s almost always somewhere else to go, somewhere else to escape, whether it be a family upstate or a camp across the border. But here we are, all of us, practically the entire human race, or at least everyone reading this post, figuring out how to and whether to NOT go somewhere else, in order to flee the risks of a virus we can’t even see. Truly surreal.
However.
Over the last 24 hours or so, I’ve been starting to work through the frustrations of a global issue that spawns both ends of extreme opinion, informed or otherwise, everything from “this is nothing” to “this is the end.” Of course the panic has annoyed me. And yes, the incompetence of our political leaders has troubled me and will continue to trouble me, particularly at a time when nations depend on those whose trustworthiness must tower above every ounce of partisanship and arrogance. But I’ve been slowly pulling back on my annoyances, on the things that trouble me, to consider what matters more.
This morning, I spoke with a woman who deals with asthma, and another whose father lives in a nursing home, a sudden realization that yes, while this virus may pass right by the majority of us, and while I and a few million of us may see ourselves as invincible, as untouchable, like we’ll be fine no matter what, the reality is that when people are worried, about anything, we usually go out of our way to put their worries to rest. Simply telling someone “it’s all good,” or rolling our eyes in their company, conveying the sense that they’re being ridiculous, has never worked. Not with anyone. It only makes us seem petty and smug. And if I’ve come across that way to anyone, online or in person, I apologize.
What matters now is where we are. And there’s no denying that this place we’re in is strange, uncharted territory, a time when we’re seeing offices, schools, and businesses shutting down for quite a bit longer than a day. Some of us aren’t even scared, but we’re cautious of the possibility that we could unknowingly become a carrier to someone more vulnerable, even if the statistical chances of our getting THIS virus are minimal. Some of us are staying home and trusting the decisions of those whose organizations we have entrusted with our health and safety. And whether we think it’s silly or not, it is what it is. And it’ll be okay.
A couple of weeks ago, I booked a flight to Los Angeles for part of Spring Break, crossing a couple more presidential libraries off my list (Nixon and Reagan), both of which are still scheduled to be open, but I’m conceding the possibility that anything could change, that flights could be in disarray, that the National Archives may adjust cancellations at the last minute, even the night before my flight or after I arrive. I don’t plan to be in crowded places or shaking a thousand hands on the red carpet. But if my plans have to change, it’ll be okay. Those things will still be there another time.
Be patient with people over these next couple of weeks. We all could benefit from a little more calm.
