A Facebook friend recently shared an opinion article that gives reasons why we should end the lockdown as soon as possible.
I will not link to this article. While written by M.D.s, none of them were experts in infectious disease as it applies to global public health. They propose a number of rhetorical fallacies that are not backed up by data.
Honestly, I’m really, really pissed off by the article.
But with that, I’ve been thinking. Why are some people so selfish? Why can’t they let go of their own privilege? Why do they want to endanger themselves and others in the face of fact?
Why?
I think part of the reason, as a nation, it’s been a long time since we’ve had to sacrifice anything for the good of the whole. It’s been about 80 years since we’ve faced a global war.
Which is basically what this is.
Stereotypes are never completely accurate, though sometimes they hit the mark. Stereotypical America is:
- “every man for himself”
- “I got mine, I don’t car if you get yours”
- “I haven’t gotten mine, so maybe you’ve stolen it”
History
The last time we really had to pull together as a country was during WWII. There was rationing of food, so more food could be send to troops and so there was enough to go around for everyone. People made victory gardens to help supplement the difference. Women sacrificed their nylon stockings so they could be used in parachutes. People put their money into war bonds. People living on the coast masked their lights, so the Germans couldn’t use the coast as a landmark. And, on the extreme end, many men submitted to the draft and ultimately gave their lives.
They didn’t like doing these things, I’m sure. Civilians did these things in the interest of helping their soldiers to come back, and the soldiers did it in the interest of creating a better world. And now we need to do the same thing. We need to sacrifice in order to bring as many folks home as we can.
But if thinking of it as a sacrifice feels yucky and negative, think of it as a gift instead. We give the gift of time and space so that more of us can live our full lives with quality.
We may be grateful and glad that we haven’t contracted COVID-19. These feelings may make us resent being cooped up! But if we remember we are giving the gift of life to our fellow citizens. To our friends. To our children. I hope that will put things in perspective.
One of my student’s cousins has COVID-19. He’s not doing well. If his cousin is close in age to my student, he would be a teenager. I will gladly stay inside a few months so that your teenager can live. Or toddler. Or mother. As Bernie Sanders would say, “It’s not me. It’s us.”
It is easy to be flippant when it isn’t us. But take a look around. We are all connected. COVID-19 is putting this idea in stark relief. Relax the the quarantine, and your loved ones could be in the next round of infections.
Do you want to risk your loved one stays asymptomatic? Do you want to risk your loved one breathing their last breath through a ventilator tube? Is that worth flipping a coin for, and who are you to make that decision for others since you could be contaminating them? Are you willing to extend this disease so it lasts even longer, just so you can go shopping again?
Will our lives be the same after this crisis? No. And in some ways, good riddance. Because with our technology as it is today. With our production capabilities, we no longer need to be slaves to jobs, bosses, and corporations that don’t serve us and society.
Take a look at this video. Because we can build this.