Tue, Mar 24, 2020
Read in 2 minutes
Philadelphia Hub, Pennsylvania, USA Originally from New Jersey, USA
I’m not an anxious person. I move slowly, am not often stressed, do yoga, have scary low blood pressure, and benefit from many privileges. There is a 70% chance that I will contract it, and I am not at all worried about getting Covid-19. I am 28 years old, white, work in tech, am in great health, and live in a major American city. I will be fine. But I have never felt so many emotions for the state of the rest of the world. I’ve never been so anxious for others. The uncertainty that Covid-19 has brought to the entire world is debilitating.
Small threats come in the form of cancelled vacations, school closures, empty baseball fields, postponed weddings, phone calls in place of birthday parties, delayed haircuts, staying far away from parents and grandparents, barren grocery stores, unsafe public transportation, cancelled dentist appointments (well maybe that’s a win). Life as we knew it changed, but it’s just fine. We supplement with lazy Sundays, long reads, chats with friends, binge watching shows, getting to that one house project. Oh and working from home in pajamas. Everyone’s dream. I am able to enjoy this “slow time” with loved ones only because of the position I am in.
Larger threats come in the form of time. How long will this last? How much food can we stock up on before our pantry bursts? Can we afford this? How many peoplecanafford to stock up? What does a stable job mean today? Will we both have our jobs next week? Next month? How long can businesses last? How many people will I know without a job by the end? What if it lasts all Summer? Will grocery stores ever run out of food? What if everyone at the water treatment plant get sick at once? How long will the impact last after the virus has subsided? Will people go hungry or get evicted? Will a missing paycheck or three result in a loss of healthcare when someone needs it most?
My head starts to spin when I think about all of the possibilities. Working through the day helps. Yoga helps. Cooking helps. Talking to people helps. But no one knows the answers to any of my questions. We can speculate and do our part. Stay home. Wash hands. Be nice. The simplest way to win a world-wide war in all of history.