WAS IS WILL BE MAYBE

     Quite a while ago there was a movie made, I believe with Kevin Costner, called The Postman. Its premise was that there was a disaster in the country and it dissolved into little 'stans', hostile and combative, with barely any travel, - on horseback or foot, - families split for years and no contact between groups. For some reason, the Postman of the title decided to deliver mail or use it as an excuse to travel safely and a new spirit was born, a la a new Pony Express and of course, there was a happy ending. We loved the movie and it is a vital movie to rewatch in these troubled times as we begin to isolate from each other, begin to fear contact with people we know, and withdraw into ourselves, leaving behind a vacuum in the life that was, creating a new life that is, and leaving a huge hole of uncertainty and even despair at what will be - maybe.
     Making no bones about it, I am afraid. I am afraid for my family and the separation between us, the almost impossibility of bridging those physical miles soon. I am afraid for my husband, for myself, thinking, feeling, that every time we go outside we are risking our lives. A shopping trip today for food for a holiday is, to me, fraught with fright, with existential danger, as I am one of those 'compromised' seniors. And yet, it is something that must be done. We will put on  gloves, have disinfectant in the car, but are breathing the same air as every single person there, who was recently there, and the future is hazy. Silly? Overreacting? Not really sure about that as this damned thing spreads like nobody's business. Yet, what else is there to do?
     Everything is at stake. Crisis often brings political reactions and we have been in one for four years already and looking at the next four with great doubts and fears. Will we continue to have a democracy or will this pandemic encourage foes of democracy to step out and forward, force their will upon the country? It has happened many times before, and in the midst of this we must remember the conversation between Benjamin Franklin and another who asked if the new country would be a monarchy or a democracy. Good question, huh! His answer was that it will be what we make of it. The onus is on us, never dying, even as the pandemic levels society, bringing it almost to a halt and never mind recession, which I predicted way before the 'experts'. I fear worse than that and for a long time to come. Such a blow to the national and international streams of commerce, of buying habits, of even having the funds to buy anything other than basic survival needs, well, it will be a long time a comin' back. Unfortunate, but there it is. What was, what is, will change, morph into a new what will be - maybe. It is upon us to watch, act, and be strong.
     Trump talks of it "washing through" but this will not come out in the wash. It will need lots of scrubbing, hard work, and many attempts, failures, and eventually, a quick eventuality at that, one hopes, we will have a vaccine - maybe. Even though some testing has begun, we are taking baby steps and there is a time lag of at least a year to eighteen months before there will be a vaccine. Distribution will not be a picnic. Remember when there was a shortage of flu vaccine, the long lines, the fights in that line, the fear, the angst? Well......
     Experts are telling us  “People need to be informed, but not afraid.” Not so easy to do. We are all humans and when faced with this awful crisis and sorry, folks, 1918 is looking like a twin to us now. Perhaps even better than our mess, and poo pooing that comparison will not change the facts on the ground. People are dying. Countries have literally 'locked' the population in their homes, going out only to doctors, for food, and no public transportation. We think things will remain open, but remember, robots are not the workers and clerks. People are and they are just as frightened, just as vulnerable, just as concerned and who is to make sure they come out into the open to serve the rest of the world! Not so easy. Not so smooth, if one thinks more than one or two steps ahead.
     As for our 'leader', pardon the expression, what a disaster in itself. There is "even less clarity in an already fractured chain of command. “What begins every kind of mobilized response by the president — clear assignments and some sense that this is an absolute priority — none of that seemed to be ..." States and municipalities are left to fend for themselves, to scrounge for supplies, and the feds do nothing to ameliorate shortages and knots in the supply line. In fact,the damage has been done over the past few years and cannot be undone quickly.
      So what to do? In my opinion, some fear is a good thing. It will make us think before we do something stupid. Perhaps it will change our habits for the future, insuring a healthier, more prepared society and will make us appreciate what was, what used to be what is, and what will be - maybe, just maybe, a better world. But fear and caution are necessary right now and so is helping your neighbors who are quarantined or seniors or have infants in the home. Shop for them when you go, make a phone call to them, bring them a book to their door. Together we can make a good future as we get through this awful present. Alone, well, let us not go there.