No one has the words to describe the impact of this pandemic—the Coronavirus Disease, 2019 (Covid-19). Those who have tested positive and experience severe symptoms stretch for a comparison that equals the pain and suffering they have endured to simply stay alive. Service industry employees, contractors, and the self-employed scour the internet and desperately watch news outlets to ascertain their options for locating even a fraction of their normal income while anxiously awaiting the end of Shelter-In-Place orders. We are waiting for the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel when the toll of death and destruction flatlines and eventually becomes a distant memory. The fallout of this natural disaster (if we can call it that) has and will not only affect human lives and the economy, but our social and mental health as our faith and sense of responsibility are tested.
As a self-employed, sole proprietor in a small, but sturdy Marin County private practice; I can attest to feeling the pressure placed on me from this planet, the powers that be—our federal, state, and local governments—friends, family, and outspoken members of societies around the world. The collective conscience is huddling (albeit six feet apart) to strategize our next move.
Where is the silver lining in all of this? Why is this happening to us? Where is God in this? Why would he/she/they/it allow such a brutal force to seep into our atmosphere? Why now?
Whether you are experiencing the benefits of balancing your family’s needs alongside the demands of the workplace because you are now working from home, or, due to park and beach closures, you find yourself exploring the neighborhood on foot—you are being faced with the reality that life is full of choices. Choosing how to be a part of that reality is an important decision we all must face. Those whose faith has not been pushed to the brink due to homelessness, crime, loss of loved ones, oppression, or any other significant adverse event (see ACE studies), may feel infused with new perspective and strength. They may find themselves reconsidering relationships, lifestyle choices, careers, investments and priorities to benefit the greater good. Still others will continue the same course they set out on before this pandemic, carrying a mix of feelings and thoughts that ultimately lead to a sort of hold-in-place response. They will make do with the resources available to them, avoiding the risks associated with making new changes and taking small steps to avert crises.
Though it is impossible to imagine how Covid-19 will change the world forever, it’s safe to speculate that the ripple effect of this pandemic will leave it’s mark on the memories of every last survivor. Those who have lost a loved one will feel gripped with grief at the recollection of this period whereas others may feel validated in their conviction that this is an indication of a change critical to our ongoing survival—a sort of wake-up call. Valuing one perspective over the other is a natural human response. Can we ask a grieving person to understand that their loss has a silver lining? Can we expect the validated individual to truly understand the weight of the many losses occurring every moment of every day around the world.
If we imagine our “human huddle of consciousness”—we can ask together, challenging both our faith and belief in good, “why would this be allowed to occur to humanity?”
A few images come to mind that reflect the human experience of dealing with a force greater than ourselves. At the hand of this greater force, some will drop to their knees and then struggle to stand again, losing sight of possibility. For these folks, the grief process creates and/or exacerbates pre-existing mental health issues, addiction, risky behaviors, and at worst—suicidality and/or homicidality. In Marin County, we howl for you. In New York City, we hoot and holler for you. In Italy, we sing for you. Around the world, we pray for you. May you find the strength within to persevere.
Why now? I go back to the collective conscience. Whether you are the medical personnel on the front lines coming home (or aching to go home) to your family, the grocery store bagger who lives alone, the retired couple who has lost their savings in the stock market, or the family who has experienced the death of a patriarchal or matriarchal figure—there is no right time for a pandemic. There is only the hope that the world—not only the inhabitants, but the planet itself—has the resources available to compel a paradigm shift. With the advent of the internet comes successful and plentiful video chat platforms, monolithic social and news media outlets, the easy exchange of breakthroughs in the STEM industry, and the ability to see almost anything you could ever want to see. The light at the end of the tunnel is near. The human huddle is working. There has never been a better time.
There will be those who survive, those who thrive, and those who live through this. This pandemic provides each of us the opportunity to think about how we process new and developing information and move through an unprecedented life experience. We will all need to find balance between the emotional, physical, financial, and social toll and the greater meaning of this historical event: human lives depend upon the belief/the faith that someone somewhere will lend a hand. Even when that hand, ultimately, comes from within.