Covid-19 Tests America’s True Nature

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.