Will We Be Better?

Will we? Will we be better humans once we get through this pandemic?

I have read comments online about how people hope that we humans will not return to business as usual after the pandemic is over. Business as usual has left too many Americans struggling to survive, while corporations and the extremely wealthy accumulate more and more wealth. Business as usual has left millions of people without health insurance and savings. Business as usual has left too many people working two and three jobs with minimum wages and no benefits.

People hope that we will learn to once again be good stewards of the earth, that we will again care for our neighbors, that we will be more compassionate and kinder to each other. They hope that the ultrawealthy will suddenly start to care about the workers who create their massive wealth. That universal health care will become a reality, and that healthcare will no longer be tied to a person's employment. They hope that racism and gun violence and anti-Semitism will no longer plague our country.

Sadly, I cannot share their hopefulness. While this pandemic has brought out the goodness in some people -- people who shop for their neighbors, who bring them food, who check on them, who risk their own health to care for the sick -- it also has brought to the surface far too many people who don't give a rat's ass about anybody else.

These are the people who refuse to wear masks, who take their assault weapons to protest business closures, who block access to hospitals and who threaten the lives of medical professionals because they don't like the informed opinions of the physicians and epidemiologists. These are the people who shoot three teenage McDonald's employees for stating that the dining room is closed. These are the people who shove a park ranger into a lake for reminding people of the social distancing orders. These are the people who hoard toilet paper and hand sanitizer. These are the people who shoot a security guard in the face for telling them they can't enter a discount store unless they wear masks. These are the people who open their businesses in violation of state ordinances. These are the people who care only about themselves. These are the people who demand that the old and the frail sacrifice themselves on the altar of the economy.

I am not one of those people. I am doing my best to not only keep myself safe, but others as well. I wear a mask when in public. I stay home except to pick up meals or groceries at a drive-up. I thank the people who bring me my food or put my groceries into the back of my vehicle. When I leave, I tell each person who has helped me in some way to "Stay safe." I tip more generously. I have donated money to my local food bank, to Meals on Wheels, and to a fund to help widows and orphans in Africa whose livelihoods have dried up with the end of tourism. I check in with female friends who live alone. I practice social distancing. I try to help local restaurants survive by ordering meals online and picking them up curbside.

These things are easy to do. I don't reveal these actions because I'm special. I'm not. I don't talk about them because I am seeking praise. I'm not. I am merely an ordinary American. I know that not everyone can afford to donate money; I am fortunate that I can help others in this way. But there are things each of us can do that cost no money.

Every one of us has the opportunity to be a good person. We can choose to be kind and compassionate or selfish and greedy. We can follow the directions of our governors and public health experts, or we can put people at risk by ignoring them. We can greet our neighbors as we are going for a walk, helping to alleviate feelings of loneliness and aloneness if just for a couple of minutes while still maintaining social distancing. We can thank the grocery store employees who ring up and bag our order. 

My father and his generation went to war to defend this country. He lied about his age and enlisted in the navy when he was but 17 years old. He took part in the D-Day landing when he was 19. His ship was sunk. He and the others sacrificed a lot. Some of his fellow sailors died. The only 'sacrifices' we are being asked to make is to wear a mask when in public and to stay home. That really isn't much of a sacrifice at all. Stores require people to wear a shirt and shoes in order to enter a business, so why is there such an objection to being asked to wear a mask? 'No Shirt. No Shoes. No Service' isn't met with violence. Why should being told to wear a mask be any different?

This could be, this should be, a time for us to pull together, to be willing to make the small sacrifices we are being asked to make for the good of our country. Americans have a long tradition of coming together during difficult times, for the good of the country and for the good of our fellow citizens. 

Sadly, this is not one of the times that shows Americans' at their finest. I am ashamed by the behavior and rhetoric of far too many Americans. While doctors and nurses work without proper protective gear as they struggle to save people from this horrible virus, others can't be bothered to wear a mask.

The death toll (probably underreported) from this pandemic is just under 87,000 in the US. The population of the city where I live is 89,000. And still the death toll rises. And still people refuse to wear masks in public.

Why are so many acting like spoiled, entitled brats during this pandemic? We should be better than this.