I was searching for a quote that captures my thoughts and emotions about the crisis unfolding before us with this pandemic. Every morning I wake up to hear that the numbers of those infected by COVID-19 and those who have died has risen. That announcement is followed by the pleas of governors and healthcare workers for needed resources. We even sent our physician daughter in law six of our N-95 face masks to use at the hospital. I feel two emotions simultaneously: sadness and anger. The latter is born out of frustration and disappointment at the stupidity, lack of leadership, and lack of planning coming from the Trump administration. And then I face another day of working from home.
I chose a quote by an American writer who was completely unknown to me: Robert Tew. He said, “The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need tomorrow.” That quote really hit the mark for me. And I hope it is true.
There is no doubt that we are in a struggle and our weaknesses and vulnerabilities are being exposed every minute, both personally and collectively. We can clearly see where we have failed and where the cracks are in our healthcare system and financial policies. These have exposed us to a public health disaster and financial ruin.
I’ll make my reflection short. There will be other crises moving forward because that is the world we live in. My hope is that this present struggle will make us shore up our healthcare system to be more about people than profit. I hope corporate leaders and government leaders will recognize that the present financial system that suppresses wages to the point that workers had no savings for these rainy days will rethink policies and practices to reduce these absurd levels of income inequality. And I hope that American voters will see the error of having a president like Donald Trump in the White House as his leadership has only worsened this disaster and choose to dump him this year.
This November, we will have the opportunity to make the country stronger by electing Joe Biden and senators who actually want to strengthen our healthcare system and reduce income inequality. We’ll be in a better position for the next crisis if we get this right in November.