Pandemics are rare. In my lifetime we had the polio epidemic. I’m not sure it was ever considered a pandemic, one that leapt across national boundaries and continents and swept diabolically throughout the populations. Polio did a lot of that, but the infection rates were small, and the disease trajectory slow. Of course there were epidemics of various flus, Ebola, and other odd and unknown viruses.
And then we dealt with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. For some of us AIDS was personal and scary. For most, AIDS happened only ‘to those people’. And so, years later, 35 million deaths are not viewed by most as a pandemic. It is, though. Was and is. Over 70 million infected. Survival tenuous for many, 37 million survive today and are living with it. About 2 million new cases are diagnosed annually. With repercussions then and now. Life became new and different in so many ways.
And now COVID-19. Everyone is a potential target. The illness is unpleasant and for many horrific. Death stalks 5 or 6 percent of the patients. Travail visits all infected, and the stresses on family and friends. Hideous is the name of this disease and leaves survivors appreciative of the complexities of our healthcare system.
We are grateful for first responders, emergency room personnel, doctors, nurses, medical techs, and all other support staff. The lab workers, imaging and diagnostic support teams. 24/7 operations regardless of where the hands of the clock are poised. The system functions. At their personal peril, too, they labor for the patient’s well-being.
Yes, we are fortunate to have these passionate, trained people ready to serve the stranger among us within our social order.
For the rest of us sitting at home, working from home, surviving at home, we face isolation in degrees. People living alone have the toughest situation. Couples have each other; their relationships tested in odd ways unimagined before the pandemic! And yet they strengthened bonds and understanding. The pandemic threatened but didn’t destroy coupledom.
Other family units dealt with 4 or more people under the same roof 24/7. Young ones were cuddled, calmed, taught new learning routines on-line, parents learned new teaching skills, and appreciation for teachers. Older students learned about interdependencies we all share. They learned those lessons early; usually early adult years is the time for that. Even then, many adults do poorly on interdependencies.
But the self; how did it process isolation. Social only goes so far. What does the self do in isolation, with itself? Is this stressful? Is this enticing? Do new horizons beckon? Or, do we hunker down to preserve the old and familiar? Has this pandemic uncovered values we need to develop?
I think the answer is yes. It is for me, anyway. I have learned to see life more completely, in more detail, with reliance both on self and others. I am not an island. I know this intimately. But I am not afraid of being alone with myself, either.
In such moments we work at understanding the self and its potentials. We assess where we are and what is possible for the future. How much time do I have left to accomplish whatever it is that is my fate? How much energy and health do I have to expend on such matters?
These are worthy matters to think and write about. I will do so in this space.
What about you and your processing these matters?
June 17, 2020
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