By Mildred Robertson
The Corona Virus is like an angry mother who has told humanity, “That’s
it. I’ve had enough. Go to your room.” Or is it more like God has tired of our
antics and decided that the planet needed a break from us. The earth needs to
breathe. The streams need to run clear. The rest of earth’s creatures need to,
at least momentarily, reclaim their habitat. This pandemic has resulted in a
lesson for those who choose to receive instruction. It has revealed our inner
nature and magnified both our humanity and our savagery.
For the past month, the entire world has slowed down. We’ve figured out
how to worship and work remotely. Mothers and fathers are actually interacting
with their kids. Family dinners are being cooked in the kitchen rather than
being passed through a service window. We have had the time to work on
unfinished projects, read our favorite books and binge watch our favorite T.V.
shows. And yes, we have had the opportunity to lounge in our PJ’s and forgo
makeup and haircuts.
We have seen the best of humanity as nurses, doctors and other
health-care staff placed themselves in harm’s way to work tirelessly to provide
care and comfort to the hundreds of thousands who have been stricken with
Covid-19. We see athletes and celebrities step up to provide support for those
who cannot meet this challenge alone. Food banks and churches across the
country have tried to help fill the gap for families who cannot afford to buy
food. Essential workers at grocery
stores, restaurants and supply stores brave the perils of this deadly disease
to ensure we can keep our cupboards stocked and take care of other essentials
necessary to sustain a comfortable living condition.
But then we must also acknowledge the savagery experienced by
minorities who suffer harsher consequences when they break quarantine than do
their white counterparts. Armed gunmen and hissing protesters terrorize our
state houses to try to force an end to the very quarantine designed to save
their lives. Minorities are overwhelmingly represented in the numbers of those
catching and dying from Covid-19. While many blame this disparity on
pre-existing conditions in the minority community, (a conversation that
requires its own separate discussion), some health-care workers attest to the
fact that minorities lives are not valued in the same way as majority culture
patients, and may not be receiving quality, compassionate care.
And then there is the government. Congress came together to pass much
needed legislation to supplement the income of those impacted by closures due
to the pandemic. Many state and local officials have risen to the occasion,
implementing policies and procedures designed to safeguard the public against
this deadly disease. They have done so with very little help from the federal
government. In fact, this administration’s bungling attempt to spearhead the
fight against Covid-19 has resulted in confusion, inadequate supply chains, overpriced
supplies, and state and federal agencies competing against one another for scarce
resources needed to contain the outbreak. In most instances the Trump
administration has worked counter to the successful management of this
pandemic.
This marks the first time in our history when facing such devastating
peril, that the Commander-in Chief has failed to appeal to the American public
to come together to collectively face the threat. Instead Trump has lied about
when his administration learned of the deadly pandemic, and the steps they were
taking to contain it. He has contradicted the advice of scientist who have cautioned
us on the need for social distancing and other practices necessary to fight the
virus, and has advised the public to self-medicate or use untested therapies to
treat Covid-19. He has publicly assailed journalists who have questioned his
actions regarding combating the virus as well as nurses and others who have
pointed out that the necessary resources for them to fight the disease are in
short supply. He has failed to marshal business and industry to form a uniform
strategy to develop testing and vaccines necessary to defeat this virus. The
fact that America’s rate of infection and death toll is the highest in the
world can be directly attributed to his lack of vision and leadership.
Historically, adversity has brought out the best in American citizens. But
this pandemic has proven atypical because of the atypical person occupying the White House. While I have not been a supporter of all of the presidents who have
served in my lifetime, from Eisenhower to the present, there are none whom I
believe did not want the best for this country as a whole—none but the current
president. His narcissistic, sociopathic personality will not allow him that
kind of concern. Because of him, many
Americans cannot hear the voices of their better Angels. Because of him, his
cult-like followers choose savagery over humanity.
Because of Trump this pandemic has been allowed to break us. Only time
will tell if America can look inside herself and find that inner strength that
has glued us together throughout our struggles. Only time will tell when we
will overcome this pandemic, and whether humanity will reign victorious in the
end.
