THE lockdown is hard for a lot of people. But beyond the agony of being unable to see family, friends and/or significant others, the unexpected blow of being unable to visit the hairstylist, facialist and/or manicurist and the cabin fever engulfing those who live in claustrophobic living quarters, the economic impact will prove most painful for all of us.
We all worry about the future. But let’s focus first on making sure there is still a future. My 95-year old father recently expressed concern about the financial repercussions of this pandemic. I tell him we should just focus on staying alive and healthy. First.
It would be next to impossible for most people to maintain the same lifestyle with greatly-reduced or zero income for a prolonged period of time. Time to wake up to this reality and live it down.
Government and civic society will focus on helping the poorest, survive. The middle class will have to fend for themselves. But take it as a compliment. You are better equipped with survival skills so you have been chosen to go it alone.
The rich will survive economically—without help. And while we abhor their lavish lifestyles even during these times, let’s face it—in the end, their gazillions might yet serve as our last lifelines.
This pandemic poses a grave threat to public health and safety but economic collapse is just as dangerous and deadly. So don’t be so hasty in passing judgement over our government leaders making less-than-ideal decisions.
Eight weeks ago, you were on vacation abroad. Seven weeks ago, you attended an international conference. Six weeks ago, you were at a wedding. Five weeks ago, you chaired a face-to-face meeting. Four weeks ago, you attended a wake. You made some less-than-ideal decisions yourself—not too long ago.
We all made less-than-ideal decisions during this pandemic because after filtering fact from fiction, the facts continued to change. And perhaps, because we instinctively operate on different levels of denial during difficult times.
Skepticism is not bad. Confusion is not wrong. Denial helps us cope. But the reality is that none of us could have foreseen that a pandemic of this proportion was coming. But we’re here. Now. No need to point fingers at anyone.
It’s time to call upon all our survival skills. It’s time to apply what we have learned, time to adjust to the new state of the world, time to adapt to the constantly changing circumstances that greet us each morning. Trying times. Difficult decisions. New norms. It’s time for our generation to go to war.
If government lifts the lockdown prematurely, it will wipe out all the gains achieved. If government extends the lockdown indefinitely, the economic repercussions could be tragic. Timing is crucial. Cooperation is essential. We need a miracle.