To stay home or not to stay home?
To wear a mask or not to wear a mask?
To go to the grocery store or not to go to the grocery store?
To listen to President Trump or not to listen to President Trump?
These are the times that try our souls.
It is interesting to conjecture how Hamlet and Thomas Paine would get along in a world that’s in such turmoil right now. And how would they react to Trump’s confusingly contradictory rhetoric during his daily press-briefings-cum-political-rallies? One day the president says he has absolute power over everything, but the next day he says the state governors have the right do what they want about re-opening their states. One day he supports social distancing, but the next he encourages protestors in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia to oppose the rules their governors have laid down.
Opening Up?
But among all the contradictions uttered during the White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefings, one issue has been dominant – testing. Whereas the federal government maintains there is ample testing, but some of the state governors strongly disagree. Without pointing fingers at one side or the other, we can hope only that both sides find common ground soon and pay attention to the scientists who keep saying that testing is the only way to bring an eventual end to this horrific time.
If and when it does end, however, how will the new normal look? Based upon what we hear, it’s not an optimistic picture. The mayors of both Los Angeles and New York have announced that large gatherings like sporting events and concerts may not return to their respective cities until 2021. Other proposals have included having sports events in empty venues. It’s hard to imagine watching Ohio State play Michigan in an empty horseshoe or the Steelers playing in Heinz Field sans fans.
No one knows how long the social distancing rule will be in place, but it certainly will be different walking into a bar or restaurant where people all are wearing masks and standing or sitting six feet apart. It would be like becoming an active player in a live Stephen King novel.
Politics?
Here’s the bottom line in my ever so humble opinion, and it’s not pretty. I think the America we once knew may be gone forever. When I turn on CNN and see people in Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia protesting en masse and others wandering around on a recently re-opened beach in Florida, I don’t see how we will ever subdue the virus. It’s this kind of unmitigated stupidity upon which COVID-19 can feed.
I am certainly in no position to criticize our leaders, but they all need to forget about politics and begin thinking and acting as a unified entity to put the healing of our ravaged country above all else. Then and only then will our children and grandchildren have a chance to grow up and raise their families in the kind of country we once knew.
Stay home. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. If you absolutely must go out in public, wear a mask and practice social distancing.
And stay well!
