Tag: community support

Time, Fear and Hope

The Latest Trend

What day is this? Oh! It’s Friday April 3. How long have we been sheltering? When did this start? I’m afraid I’m losing track.

Has time slowed down for you? It has for me. While my options for activity are more limited, there is no limit to the number of concerns I have, the number of reports, and the lack of resolution in all this information. There is steady stream of new and critical information entering my awareness and yet there is a short list of what I can do to make a difference. This stream is different than the regular news-noise we’ve become accustomed to over the past 3+ years. Rather it contains speculation about people living and dying, suffering, in isolation and facing present and possible loss.

I came across an interesting explanation for the time-warp we are currently experiencing:

There’s a well-known idea that time feels like it speeds up as you age. Summer break feels like an eternity when you’re nine years old but your 60s can skip by in a flash.

The leading theory for why this happens is that the perception of time relies on the number of memories formed in a period, and memories are encoded from new and surprising experiences. The monotony of commuting to work on the same road for 20 years passes without leaving a mark. But every day is a memorable surprise to a child experiencing her first summer camp, or learning how big the universe is for the first time.

Time slowed in March because for the first time since childhood many of us are being bombarded with new and surprising experiences.

Collaborative Fund

Surprise, novelty? These are things that modern people have come to crave aren’t they? The latest music, trend, fashion, technology, idea… The young have craved the “new” as long as I’ve lived and from what I know of history, they always have. Only the pace has changed. But now we are physically at full stop but mentally speeding, with eyes wide open to the novelty of change that is out of our control.

As I have aged I have less need for novelty. I am content with routines aimed at a few goals; family, friends, health, and understanding my world through reading, meditation and observation. Of course I appreciate surprises and a novel experience but I approach them differently than I did as a young man.

As a 64 year old man, days do fly by. It seems like only yesterday that my first grand-child was born, but now she is 7. At the same time she was born, I was retiring. I can’t believe I’ve been retired for 7 years! I returned from Asia 2 years ago. Time did slow while I was there. As I have recounted in my entries from that time, Nepal was like a dream – like a slow unfolding dream. Each day carried unexpected moments of sights, sound, smells and human interaction.

Young Men Nepal – David McGavock

This Present Moment

From what I am reading and hearing, there are but a few categories of activity in this moment of historical crisis. People are doing the best they can based on their geography, profession, age, and socioeconomic status. Some people are challenged with following necessary restrictions while providing service consistent with their profession. It is a shakeup of our sense of normal:

  • People sheltered at home. Limited activity of shopping for “necessities”, exercise, gathering with distance. “At least 297 million people in at least 38 states, 48 counties, 14 cities, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are being urged to stay home.” While some of us are in a relatively secure home with access to food and shelter, some are unemployed, some are without shelter and food, some are in crowded situations or institutions where they are close to other residents.
  • People on the front line of health care. With families sheltered at home, these dedicated and precious individuals are working to hold the line on the pandemic. They are the doctors, nurses and all the support staff required to keep hospitals up and running. Some are overwhelmed in the current battle while some are waiting and provisioning for the coming emergency.
  • People on the front line of essential services. While “essential” is currently being debated, people DO need food and other supplies to keep going. Grocery stores, post offices, delivery services employ people who continue to provide us support. These people are exposing themselves every day as the public gets face to face. They are generally low paid and dependent upon the salary.
  • People working to secure supplies. hospital administrators, local, state and national agencies and leaders in a position to identify gaps and do their best to fill them.
  • People reporting on developments, providing information through print, digital and broadcast media. As we shelter in our isolated locations, there is an increasing need for accurate information; to guide our behavior, help us secure support, allay our fears, prepare us for the future.
  • People who are providing service from the shelter of their home. Teachers, unemployment personnel (State and Federal), therapists, social workers, lawyers, technology support services, banks, and other support services too numerous to count.

This is a simple snapshot of the current social shift of work in the United States. Some likeness of this is being mirrored around the world, though we are blessed with an infrastructure that makes adjustment easier than a village in Peru.

While news, digital communication and direct observation are providing us with a small window into the activities of our fellow citizens, each of these groups is experiencing this crisis differently. My small window into the hospitals in New York and other cities of high infection gives me some appreciation for their sacrifice, but it doesn’t do them justice. This ignorance of other’s effort is evident in the denial that some cities and states maintain, despite daily news of the tragedy. There is an attitude being above it all, continuing with business as usual.

Silver Lining of Fear

We are all hopeful that the tide will turn quickly and we can return to business as usual. At the same time we are fearful. Fearful for our personal safety, for our livelihood, for our children and our future. For some this fear is motivating and bringing us greater appreciation for our community and our blessed, comfortable life.

This moment of crisis can be a moment of clarity. We are fearful and want to protect ourselves and our loved ones. That’s understandable. This virus, shows us our connection, our interdependence. It shows us how our protection is dependent upon everyone in our midst in a chain of connection that goes all the way around the world. We can take this moment to share other connections; our kindness, compassion, appreciation. These are also infectious.

A retreat for Buddhists is a time for drawing a boundary. It provides one with time to come to terms with the mind and how it creates our reality. Isolated from daily distractions we are left with only our thoughts and feelings, the disturbed and the blissful. Through reflection we learn that we have a choice to create an angry world or a peaceful world. When we are willing to pay attention our thoughts we will discover one important source of our suffering – ourselves.

Paradoxically, this retreat (safe at home) can provide us with a sense of connection to others. In recognizing our personal suffering, we realize that all beings create suffering for themselves, even as they strive for happiness. Like a mother responding to the suffering of her child, this realization brings us compassion for others. I pray that this crisis, and the retreat it has forced upon us, will bring people to realize their common humanity and spark compassion for the welfare of all beings.

Day 4-5 – Care for each other

In times of crisis people are motivated to watch out for themselves. We’re hardwired to survive. It’s a primal reaction for self preservation. When there is a threat, the instinct is intense.

On the other hand, humans have evolved to value community. This is the recognition that we are interdependent; my survival depends upon a group on whom I rely. Our willingness to work for the greater good operates in tandem with selfish motivations. The Dalai Lama calls this being “wise selfish”. Interdependence – the web of dependent links that we have created through social arrangements (business, government, formal and informal) is being put on display right now. One change leads to another. What other conclusion is there but, “we’re all in this together”.

I’m going to sidestep the debate about whether we are more selfish or community minded. Most of us exercise different instincts depending on prevalent conditions; including personal, generational, and situational. A crisis (especially of this scale) is a situation that calls people to step up and do their best for themselves AND their community. The crisis calls us, motivates us, to do our best work in the service of our community. The question is, are we addressing the most critical needs of people who are most critical to OUR survival?

https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/community-minded.html

Healthcare on the brink

The people who are carrying this crisis at the moment are the health care workers and support staff on the front lines. Are we doing enough to support their work.? Since 9/11 we have legitimately paid homage to our firefighters and first responders. I doubt that much money has flowed to them but they have been honored as critical members of our community. Many of us have the same admiration and appreciation for the hospital staff but there is real concern that they are not getting the tangible resources that they deserve (to serve our community). Reports abound on this topic. We are risking the lives of our health care workers at this very moment. Losing them to the virus or to burnout is not only criminal but irrational.

“In the area of testing we are still not creating capacity and applying it to the people most in need. So we have health workers who are symptomatic who can’t get a test. They don’t know if they should go in or not go in. And yet we have lots of testing given to people who are not symptomatic.” – Bill Gates – March 24, 2020.

The essential missing resources are: 1. Adequate Staff, 2. Tests to determine when a staff member is infected, 3. Protective gear, 4. Ventilators, 5. Space for people who are infected (ICU and quarantine) and space for those who are not infected but require medical help.

The economy unraveling

Reading current economic forecasts, opinions vary, but the majority of economists describe an increasing drop in consumption related to unemployment related to sheltering for safety due to the increase in Covid-19 infection and death rates. While some sectors have remained in business and others may find ways to work safely, we are in the early stages of understanding what is safe. Testing, when it becomes widespread, will be a legitimate tool to chart a safe economic response. As reliable information (who is infected, how is it spreading, what regions require support) is available, I expect the creative and entrepreneurial instinct of people will find ways to provide service and build novel businesses. An economic rebound will rely on this creativity and on government to support their initiatives.

It is safe to say that the coming days will require sacrifice. No matter how long this pandemic persists, we will have to navigate the mysteries and perils of Covid infection while picking up the pieces of the world economy. While everyone agrees that we need to be strategic the way we manage the economy, there are already major disagreements on who comes first. Expect a repeat of the debate leading to the 2 trillion dollar bill that was just passed. Money for people, small business or corporations?

“This is why governments are now responding on a massive scale. In addition to the magnitude of policy response, governments need to get their focus right, targeting effectively to support the most vulnerable links in the economy. What has been announced so far is just the beginning–there will be much more to come.” – Forbes

Triage for the economy

The question is what are the most vulnerable links. Is it the unemployed, small business, healthcare (including preparation for repeated infections), or corporations? Will we assume that corporations are most important to economic recovery? Will we feel compelled to compensate them for their losses. Or should we support the poor, the middle class, small and medium sized business? All of us have lost, to greater or lesser degrees. How to we rebuild our community of services?

We can hope that conditions will not be as dire as I have described but it is safe to say that we will be facing a recovery, the likes we have not seen since the depression. Granted it will be different than the depression of the 30s but policies will need to be aimed at jobs, unemployment, housing, health care and other basic human services. It is safe to say that we won’t have as much “disposable” income (what a horrible term) on the other side of this crisis and that people will need support for housing, education, and health care to name a few.

As the dust settles and we emerge from our shelter in place, the question will remain – Can we resist selfish (individualistic) impulses and respond a community-minded fashion?

Day 1 – Stay at home Colorado

Joni and I have been sheltering at home since last Saturday. But this is no longer a choice – it’s the law. Colorado’s Governor signed an executive order effective at 6AM this morning; saying that the majority of Colorado’s 5.8 million residents must stay home. This order was made to contain the spread of the corona virus and the tendency of people to ignore less direct warnings. I guess “we” still need a parent.

Unprecedented events continue to unfold as we identify and adapt to our invisible enemy. The fact that our only defense is distancing is causing a host of related changes, the likes of which are scaring people even more than the virus itself. It is pulling us together as it creates tension between us. I hope that we can pass this test and emerge with greater understanding of our personal and collective power.

Last night I spoke to a friend in government who is on the front line of the response to corona virus. She attends regular community briefings to understand virus and the cascade of social and material consequences that it and our quarantine bring. These community leaders are organizing a safe response for our children who are isolated away from school They are planning to provide support, particularly food and supplies for children staying at home from school. They are grappling with the logistics of getting supplies from here to there. They have to move and deliver these supplies without inadvertently spreading the virus. First, they must secure materials from stocks and/or suppliers. Once they have identified the children in need (an ongoing process) they connect the children with the support. Of course they must keep track of all this movement; the product (like food or computers), the volunteers who transport it and the recipient. This is a multi agency/business/school endeavor.

Supply Chain – David McGavock

As amazing as this sounds, it is only one of the initiatives and groups in motion around this crisis. This effort may not seem as heroic as the work of our beloved health care professionals, but it is critical to prepare in these early days. We are but one small, rural, community. There are many counties and towns involved in this particular coordination but we are just a small microcosm of work being done at the level of the State, Nation and World. Connecting the needs of individuals, families and business with materials and support is what is necessary at all levels.

As an example of what is happening (or not happening) in communities around the world, this local effort reveals just how interdependent we are – how much we rely on each other, our businesses and government, our formal and informal organizations. Socialism, capitalism? call it what you want but we have to act with a single minded, social purpose, to provide for the basic needs of our community.

I am sitting at home, following the direction of my state governor who is acting on the advice of experts in the field of epidemiology. I trust that they take this responsibility seriously and should be trusted. I don’t trust them blindly of course but based on what I’ve read, they are taking a cautious and educated approach to the crisis.

This is a perfect time to reflect on the utility of government to direct the public for their own good. Would some call this socialism? Perhaps. Our taxes are invested to keep healthy bureaucracy in place – to prepare us for unforeseen events and to act in a coordinated fashion when necessary.

My personal action is not so much a sacrifice as it is a logical conclusion of the facts (yes facts) at hand. This action doesn’t really require that much of me except to listen and behave accordingly. Is that so hard? But staying home is relatively smaller sacrifice for me; a retired 64 year old with a pension. Staying home is a much larger sacrifice for many others. It entails a loss of income and for some it will lead to job loss and business loss and all the hardships that follow. I am fortunate to be in a stage of life where I am relatively insulated from this sacrifice.

Despite my particular niche, I know that I am connected to each and every person and that their sacrifice and their fate, is my fate. As this cascade of social effects continues, I will feel the effects of unemployment, business and investment loss. These and many other effects will become OUR new reality, our new legacy. They will require more sacrifice on everyone’s part. We will have to rebuild our economy in the same way we would reconstruct a community in any other disaster. Given that this disaster has affected all of us, without exception, the scale of the recovery will be on a scale we (Post WWII children) have never known.

It is time to prepare for collective sacrifice and action. My hope is that we will be considerate of all in this crisis, no matter their age, race, gender, or socio-economic status.