Hopefully, we have turned the corner on the current pandemic in the sense that we are beginning to deal with it on a realistic basis; one which will allow us to get back to a greater or lesser extent of “normality”. But what have we learned from this latest challenge in our lives? Let us look at some lessons which hopefully, shall help us have a better life in the future.
1) Life Never Let’s Go: Life has a funny way of always sitting on our shoulder, waiting to disrupt our lives. Think of the disruptions we have faced in the past 50 years:
* 1968: Hong Kong Flu: 100,000 Americans killed
* 1973: Oil crisis which led to years of inflation (some may remember when you were lucky to get a home mortgage for only 12%)
* Late 1970s-early 1980’s: Worldwide recession; little economic growth, high unemployment. Japan begins 20+ years of stagnation
* 1995-2000: Tech bubble; Trillions are wiped out in the technology sector as suddenly people begin to realize that at some point you must make a profit
* 2001: World Trade Center/Pentagon attacked and economy falters for a couple of years
* 2007-2008: Real estate bubble bursts
* 2020: Pandemic
I have not included the Gulf War, other wars, genocides, smaller outbreaks of diseases (mostly from Asia), AIDS, Ebola, etc., etc. In fact, the list can go on and on. Not all of these impact all of us, but how many times have you or someone you know been laid off, had their hours cut, suffered medical bills, etc. from just this partial list of ways that life can sneak up on us and bite us you know where? In short, we always need to be prepared (not paranoid) to face whatever life will throw at us. Those who want to be protected from life will simply wither as no one can protect them from reality.
2) Trust the “Experts”? How many times during the past four months have we seen “experts” twist and turn in their advice as to what we should do? On May 19th, I heard Senator Schumer say that “science is the king we should listen too”. Sorry, which science? We need to realize that “experts” are men and women most of whom are trying to give us their best guess as to what may happen and what are some of the things we can do to be safe. They may be correct; they may be wrong, but as new information comes out, they are, hopefully, looking at new facts to help us. But, “experts” in one field are just that: experts in one field. Above the “experts” are our “leaders” who need to balance more than one field. Because of “experts” we shut down and denied health care to cancer patients, those who needed heart surgery, those who were in pain from backs, knees, etc. How many died because of that decision? How many will lose their life savings due to the loss of their job or even their business. It is fine for an “expert” who is making $400,000+ a year to say that a city should be locked down for several months, but they are still getting paid and don’t exactly share others pain.
3) What did you learn about Yourself? During the lock down, some families suddenly had to learn to cope with each other. Prior to February, many families led very disassociated lives but suddenly many diversions were gone. How well did your family cope? Or, as an individual, did you find yourself more paranoid? Did you wear a mask when driving by yourself? On your shopping trips, were you happy to be out with even limited human contact or were you nervous? Did you find activities at home to keep you busy and on an even keel or were you bored? What do these and other actions tell you about yourself?
Going Forward
Life goes on and so shall you. Each of us has come through a difficult time but hopefully we have turned the corner. If a cure for the virus is found or not, life will get back to a better degree of normalcy. That is how mankind has progressed, how we have move forward to eliminate the fear of starvation, random widespread violence and yes, diseases. Here are some simple ideas to keep in mind:
- As life never let’s go, as it is always ready to spring on us, we need to prepare.
* In what areas of your life were you caught unprepared? Did you face a real financial crisis, or if you lost your employment, did you find that your skills limited your options? How were things on the home front, with your spouse, your friends, your children? What steps could you take now to ease any disappointments or problems found in any of these areas?
* Do you have, or will you create an emergency fund of 6 months savings in case you become ill, cannot work, etc.? Wouldn’t you feel
better if you had such a fund? Think it is hard? Start small but set aside an amount every two weeks or on the first of the month and keep
it secure for your future security. If you do not plan for your financial future, are you prepared to be a burden on your parents, children,
etc.? Do you really want to exist on other people’s charity?
* Do you laugh at the rush on toilet paper? Silly wasn’t it! But, why not put a small stash of key household items aside so that when
others panic, you do not have to participate.
2) Listening to “experts”. Remember, they are only human but ultimately you must create your own world in which you can live and be content. Yes, listen to them, but also feel free to do some research when numbers are presented. We heard how many people were infected, how many died. But how long was it before we started to see patterns as far as the age, underlying health condition and actual policies that actually increased the death rate. We had “leaders” who knowing initiated policies which put infected patients in facilities which were unable to care for them and as a result, more were infected and died. Humans are wonderful creatures, the top of the food chain in our ability to reason. Should we let one group of “experts” determine the direct for economy and society that is huge, dynamic, and multifaceted? Let us use our reason to question and feel more comfortable in how we deal with any challenge to our lives. No one person or group of persons have all the answers and as we have seen all too often, a herd like mentality can easily grip leaders, the news people, etc. We must each learn to step back a bit and have a questioning eye from time to time.
3) Use what you have learned: What did you learn from the lock down that is positive? Did you become closer as a family? Did you start a new hobby? Do you feel better as you went for more walks? Wonderful, keep it up! And from the negatives? Yes, we learn from them too. How did you do away with any bad habits that impacted you or your family? How can you keep them from returning? Life is a great teacher and we have learned something from this experience. If we act on what we have learned, we shall be that much the better, if we do not, then shame on us.
Mankind moves forward slowly; we have a natural drive to move forward. This time of testing while difficult and costly to many in terms of lost loved ones, lost income, lost businesses, etc. must be turned to good. It is up to each of us to see how we can be better and stronger. What can we take from this trial to help ensure that the next time life bites us, we shall be better prepared? If we do not learn and take active steps, then we have no one to blame but ourselves.
