I know this holiday has been a major time of reflection. Certainly the entire year of 2020. Made harder with heated pressure of new mandates while trying to balance old traditions and making choices that impact both yourself as well as those around you.
History can add insight or brevity if we are wise enough to pay attention. I found several features that took a glance back at where the entire world was 100 years prior. Making the same hard choices against a pandemic foe that we also knew little about....
It had the exact same National statistics of 200,000 dead since March. Mask mandates with cities in lockdown. Vaccines in stages of trials. The resemblances are uncanny. And yet until this last year, would any of us had dared to ponder these facts? They were also in the 2nd phase of the virus and conversations revolved around how to celebrate the holiday. Stay at Home and Stay Safe.
There was of course the same opposition from retailers who were taking huge hits financially. They had the same masses rallying around Freedom vs imposing restrictions; the Anti-Mask League of San Francisco! So many were arrested that when court citations became overwhelming, it was easier to give up. Resistance from both churches and sports fans. Nothing has apparently changed at all.
I am not here to either choose sides or point fingers. I am merely looking at history to glean what knowledge we should have learned already. If it continues to parallel, they experienced a huge 3rd spike in January after the holidays. One third of the world's population went on to become infected. If you are seeking such a thing as "herd immunity" you are an odds player. In 1918, it was not until 8 months later that the illness finally started to subside. While I am in the middle of this, another 8 mos seems interminable. We need to be smart human beings and mindful of us as a community is all I am saying. Be safe and Be well.
No comments:
Post a Comment