I had expected, just a few weeks ago, to be getting ready to head for Phoenix today, to take a flight over to Heathrow/Dublin for a three-week holiday. All plans laid, expectations of meeting up with my cousin Kathleen and, later, other cousins that we have never met.
And then Coronavirus happened. From a devastating problem in Wuhan, China, it has spread across the world. There is still so much conflicting information about it—how deadly IS it to people with “normal” health? Is it better to get it and get it over with? Or are we condemning thousands, perhaps millions of elderly and fragile people to death if we don’t enact the kind of measures that haven’t been seen since World War 2. A time when most of us were not yet born.
I have often thought, as more and more measures are adopted, as the world closes in more and more so that for so many people, the world is their house/apartment/room, that it’s ironic that this comes at a time when those in the Western world (people in Africa and the Middle East live with these uncertain times constantly) who would remember quite clearly what it is like to live under war conditions are mostly gone. And so in a way it is up to us, the Boomers, who remember our parents’ and grandparents’ stories about rationing and staying close to home, about living a much simpler life, to lead the way back to that simpler life.
I keep thinking that my life has merely been “inconvenienced” so far. Yes, I have had to cancel my trip but, for the most part, I should be able to use the airlines’ credit in September (hoping the restrictions are lifted by then.) I had enough funds to offset the costs that are non-recoverable. I have plenty of books at home to read. I have Internet. Although there has been a run on food staples in our town, we have enough that we can afford to wait a week or two for some things—like ground beef—and longer for other things. We have a year’s supply of toilet paper. In fact when I see the signs in our Frys store that say that quantities are being limited for staples, it reminds me of living in Ireland where, because of our small fridge and storage capabilities, we usually DID shop more often, for smaller quantities. And we shopped locally, in our small grocery stores as well as at Tesco.
This virus could change things for the better for those who have the luxury of changing their ways, of rethinking the way they do things, before any catastrophe happens directly to THEM. We who are so blessed need to realize why we are blessed, without any selfish pride, just realize that we were lucky to have been given good information that we could follow. We should give thanks every day for all that we still do have. And we should be sensitive to those who live on the edge. We need to have compassion. We need to help them from our own surplus if we can or give money to those organizations that have the expertise to help in a concrete way. Prayer is good, but prayer is not enough. Instead of fighting in WalMart over the last package of toilet paper, we should step back, know that, with some effort, we will find more. And THEN when we can, build up our storage capabilities so we never have to fight for any kind of foodstuffs. It’s something that my Church has advocated for decades. Having enough supplies in your home that you could be cut off for six months from buying anything else and be okay.
I admit that I made fun of that a few years ago, when earthquakes and hurricanes were the disasters of the day. What good is food storage, I thought, if your house comes crashing down anyway? At that time the idea was to have backpacks filled and ready so that if you had to leave your house you could grab and go. And now the disaster is different, it’s a shelter in place. It’s a lesson that we need to be prepared for EVERY contingency. Leave at a moment’s notice or shelter in place.
It’s quite a challenge, living in our modern world but I can’t help but feel our ancestors are looking down and saying “We coped, you will too.” Life has always been a challenge, from the very first moment humankind came to Earth.
And then Coronavirus happened. From a devastating problem in Wuhan, China, it has spread across the world. There is still so much conflicting information about it—how deadly IS it to people with “normal” health? Is it better to get it and get it over with? Or are we condemning thousands, perhaps millions of elderly and fragile people to death if we don’t enact the kind of measures that haven’t been seen since World War 2. A time when most of us were not yet born.
I have often thought, as more and more measures are adopted, as the world closes in more and more so that for so many people, the world is their house/apartment/room, that it’s ironic that this comes at a time when those in the Western world (people in Africa and the Middle East live with these uncertain times constantly) who would remember quite clearly what it is like to live under war conditions are mostly gone. And so in a way it is up to us, the Boomers, who remember our parents’ and grandparents’ stories about rationing and staying close to home, about living a much simpler life, to lead the way back to that simpler life.
I keep thinking that my life has merely been “inconvenienced” so far. Yes, I have had to cancel my trip but, for the most part, I should be able to use the airlines’ credit in September (hoping the restrictions are lifted by then.) I had enough funds to offset the costs that are non-recoverable. I have plenty of books at home to read. I have Internet. Although there has been a run on food staples in our town, we have enough that we can afford to wait a week or two for some things—like ground beef—and longer for other things. We have a year’s supply of toilet paper. In fact when I see the signs in our Frys store that say that quantities are being limited for staples, it reminds me of living in Ireland where, because of our small fridge and storage capabilities, we usually DID shop more often, for smaller quantities. And we shopped locally, in our small grocery stores as well as at Tesco.
This virus could change things for the better for those who have the luxury of changing their ways, of rethinking the way they do things, before any catastrophe happens directly to THEM. We who are so blessed need to realize why we are blessed, without any selfish pride, just realize that we were lucky to have been given good information that we could follow. We should give thanks every day for all that we still do have. And we should be sensitive to those who live on the edge. We need to have compassion. We need to help them from our own surplus if we can or give money to those organizations that have the expertise to help in a concrete way. Prayer is good, but prayer is not enough. Instead of fighting in WalMart over the last package of toilet paper, we should step back, know that, with some effort, we will find more. And THEN when we can, build up our storage capabilities so we never have to fight for any kind of foodstuffs. It’s something that my Church has advocated for decades. Having enough supplies in your home that you could be cut off for six months from buying anything else and be okay.
I admit that I made fun of that a few years ago, when earthquakes and hurricanes were the disasters of the day. What good is food storage, I thought, if your house comes crashing down anyway? At that time the idea was to have backpacks filled and ready so that if you had to leave your house you could grab and go. And now the disaster is different, it’s a shelter in place. It’s a lesson that we need to be prepared for EVERY contingency. Leave at a moment’s notice or shelter in place.
It’s quite a challenge, living in our modern world but I can’t help but feel our ancestors are looking down and saying “We coped, you will too.” Life has always been a challenge, from the very first moment humankind came to Earth.
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