Although
the first known COVID-19 case was documented
in late January of 2020, most U.S. cities were
reporting cases by the end of February. Three
years ago this time, the country was in full
pandemic mode. We had no comprehension of what
was coming. None. As we’ve slowly come out of
the fog, what have we learned that can benefit
humanity going forward?
To
date, the worldwide numbers stand at nearly
seven million deaths and a little over 761
million confirmed cases. According to the
Center for Disease Control, cases in this
country have topped 106 million with nearly
1.2 million losing the battle to the
formidable virus.
The
United States likes to beat its chest about
being the most powerful, most intelligent,
most resourceful country in the universe. From
the jump, it always held the top spot for the
most cases and the most deaths for the
coronavirus. This country did poorly, even
compared to developing countries like China
and India who have almost three times the
population as the U.S.
With
new cases on the decline, we have some
breathing room to look at our behaviors, our
values and our systems. Were we stuck on
stupid? More interested in taking political
and economic advantage of the situation than
responding in a sophisticated, humane way? Too
individualistic to care about anyone other
than our own families?
We
saw that companies readily put profits over
the safety of their workers, often forcing
them to work without adequate protections from
the virus. They exploited the situation by
creating demand for products to raise prices.
We saw people fighting over toilet paper. When
people got evicted because they couldn’t work
and lost their jobs, storage companies tripled
their rental fees to house the modest
belongings.
The
sitting so-called president showed contempt
for science and refused to acknowledge the
seriousness of the situation. We burned
through first responders, hospital workers,
teachers and other frontliners because we
refused to wear masks and get vaccinated,
which helped to skyrocket the number of
COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Having
said this, we also proved to be resilient
versatile. We learned that we can be kind,
disciplined and creative. We heard and saw
countless incidents of humans bringing food,
medicine and joy to others - masked up and
socially distanced. We found ways to use Zoom
beyond the dreaded meetings for the job, like
setting up virtual musical concerts with
people around the world.
In
times of isolation and silence, we tapped into
unexplored realms of our being and discovered
new relationships, new hobbies and new
careers. We learned how essential family,
friends and nature are to our overall
well-being. We understood our
inter-connectedness in deep and practical
ways.
There
are still plenty of unknowns. Nearly 35
percent of small businesses didn’t survive the
pandemic and another hefty percentage is still
struggling for viability. We don’t know what
the implications of “long COVID” will be on
individual families or the economy,
particularly the labor market and the
healthcare system.
Millions
of students were thrown into virtual learning
and virtually learned little; the impact of
their arrested academic development is still
to be determined. Our young people are showing
signs of stress and a predisposition to
violent behavior.
COVID-19
has all but faded from the headlines, buried
beneath the stories of military invasions,
Hollywood’s latest scandal and high prices at
the grocery store. The emotional, social,
economic and political toll will sit with us
for years. How will we adjust to the new
normal? What’s gonna’ change?
We
can’t let the government off the hook because
we pay them to serve and protect us. It must
be held accountable for what it does or does
not do in our best interests. We can’t hope
that the corporations will tackle this in the
name of humanity. Capitalism will do what
capitalism does.
The
People will have to take matters into our own
hands. We have to make sure that history does
not repeat itself. We must organize to take
care of our communities. We should welcome all
those honest allies who want to join us in
taking on the systems that maintain the race
and class inequities that result in our pain
and suffering.
Our
promise to one another is never to let our
loved ones go through the trauma and grief of
the last three years. Never again.
