For the past several weeks it seems as though we are living in a horror film. There is an invisible monster coming for us. It’s like being tied to the railroad track with a train coming at you – at two miles per hour. You know it’s coming slowly now, but there is always the chance it will suddenly speed up and hit you or hopefully veer off onto another track.
Like weather forecasters tracking a storm, the news media make attempts to keep us informed on where the virus is popping up from day to day. But instead of a clearly defined path, plotting this pandemic is much more like chaos theory. Cases of CV-19 seem to pop up randomly among us and then spread out. Our best defense is to avoid other people and wash our hands throughly and frequently.
The CV-19 virus is probably the greatest health challenge my generation has faced and for that, we’re pretty lucky. My parents told us stories about the polio scare in the 1950’s when public gatherings were limited, swimming pools were closed and some of their friends passed. Fortunately when I was born, polio was on the way out and a vaccine was available by the time I hit grade school. And during my lifetime, vaccines for the measles, chicken pox, shingles, pneumonia and even the season flu have been developed. Before I was born, horrible diseases like whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus and small pox were already well under control. Because of this, I think we’ve forgotten just how susceptible humans are to the spread of viruses and just how devastating they can be.
During the later part of the last century, when AIDS was discovered, many people thought that the disease was a punishment for risky or immoral behavior. It could be easily avoided by specific precautions that for most of us didn’t really impact our lives. The same held true for ebola – just don’t go to Africa. But CV19 is a totally different animal and can be contracted by seemingly the most minimal of human interaction. It’s scary stuff for sure.
I’ve seen a variety of reactions to the virus in my sphere of human contact ranging from indifference to denial to extreme anxiety. Many people feel like they have to do something. I guess that’s why they are buying so much toilet paper and searching for recipes for homemade hand sanitizer online. Personally, I put in a store of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, because that’s what I want to eat when I don’t feel good.
At this point, just how long this virus will affect us and the way we live our lives is uncertain. As for me, I will continue to wash my hands after coming into contact with public items, try my best to stop touching my face – that is my biggest challenge, pray and hope for the best. Like everybody else, I am waiting for it to come, do what it’s going to do and be over. It’s not easy and it’s for the foreseeable future, will remain a challenge.
History shows that the human race always rises above these challenges. It’s just a matter of time and a time for faith. My mother always used to say, “Let go and let God.” And, let’s face it, faith is a much better source of strength and comfort than a pile of Charmin.