Fully Present Post 50

I’m a fan of Asian dramas in general and South Korean dramas in particular. Beyond gaining insight into the culture, history, and landscape, I like them because they spotlight, in the most real way, the human condition. Inside a K-drama I can laugh, cry, be scared, be angry and experience the harshest of human frustration and finally satisfaction. Netflix recently released its newest K-drama titled, “Itaewon Class”. The 16 episodes depict the reality wherein the rich and powerful ruthlessly trample on the both the rights and the dignity of the poor and weak. In one scene, the arrogant heir brags that laws are in place to control the poor, but didn’t apply to people like him. Sadly, I think this reality is true all over the world, including here in the U.S.

We have huge numbers of black, brown, and poor people in prison for crimes that the well-connected and wealthy get away with every day. Watching both Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen both be released from prison this week says a lot about our society and our two-tiered justice system. Both men will get to spend the rest of their prison sentences in the comfort of their luxury homes surrounded by family and eating great food. Yes, they are on “house arrest” but look at the houses. And yet, this is the society we have collectively allowed to exist. We shrug our shoulders, stay silent, and accept that this is just the reality of things, recognizing the perversion of justice but feeling unable or unwilling to do anything about it.

In our society, like that depicted in the South Korean drama, the rich and powerful get to lie, cheat, steal, kill, and break all the laws of human decency and honor while pointing their dirty fingers at others with impunity. And despite this shameful reality, we not only allow this strange order to exist but in 2016, we actually elected a person who epitomizes this perverted order to be president of our country. Since Trump’s election, the perversion of justice and decency seems to worsen every day. Now we even have to contend with lies being spewed about Obama, the continual firing of any person who tries to hold wrongdoers accountable, and with an abuse of power that has never been so blatant and so overtly cruel. This president has actual blood on his hands with his handling of the border and now COVID-19.

And yet, we’ve become so perverted that there is still a question as to whether we would re-elect such a person in November. The sad thing is that a lot of this perversion can be laid at the very feet of Evangelical Christians who once were the standard bearers for what is good and right and decent and loving. Jesus told us that we would know a tree by the fruit it bears. But too many of them refuse to look at the fruit because they want judges who will trample on the rights of those who disagree with their theology. Too many Christians have turned away from the teachings of Christ and have embraced a man who breaks every law of love that Jesus has taught us. The poor and strangers whom Jesus told us to embrace don’t stand a chance with Trump in power. They want to protect the rights of the unborn while enacting death-sentence policies for the people who are already walking this earth. The perversion is not only real, but growing with these Trump supporters protesting against public health policies designed to keep us safe from a deadly virus.

The first step in solving a problem is to realize there is one. I’m calling out the perversion I see in the hope that others will recognize it and join me in helping to turn the tables. In the K-drama I just watched, the main character is fighting hard to turn the tables. The struggle was hard and painful and hellishly frustrating at times. But in the end, with the help of others, the table is turned and justice prevails.

The point I took away from the story is that “liberty and justice for all” doesn’t happen on its own. We have to bravely and collectively make it happen. For us in the U.S., this begins with voting in the presidential election this fall against Donald Trump and convincing our friends and loved ones to do the same.

Places are opening, perhaps too soon, but still opening. One such place is our local golf course. So, my husband, an avid golfer, went. While at the golf course, my husband told me about an old golf buddy who tried to approach him without wearing a mask. He stopped him from coming any closer and the friend accused my husband of being “one of them”. I guess the “one of them” are the mask-wearing, handwashing, surface sanitizing, glove wearing, social distancing people. My husband replied with a simple “Yes, I believe the science and this virus is nothing to play with.” And herein lies the problem and why I’m scared of too many of my fellow Americans.

Our communication with one another has been poisoned by too many lies in the public sphere. Because our political and corporate leaders who were supposed to be trustworthy have shown themselves to be self-serving liars so much of the time, the average person has to choose whom to believe. Sadly, too many are choosing to believe conspiracy theorist who occupy spaces on the radio and on social media and who themselves have an ego or profit motive for spreading their lies and misinformation.

But now the stakes are really high, even deadly. People are going to get sick and others will die because of the lunacy we have allowed to take root in our public discourse. Certain people have shown us who they are and that we definitely cannot trust them. We know we can’t trust this lying president Trump and his muzzled administration. We know we need to be skeptical of what business people say because of their profit motives. Certain news media outlets have ceased being committed to the truth. But we can and should seek truth from our scientists and health professionals who remain dedicated to the survival of humans and the planet.

I am terrified of people who show up in supermarkets without masks. I am frightened by people who defy stay at home orders to show up at beaches and frequent house parties either denying the risks or ignorant of them. I am even more terrified of people who show up at government buildings with guns demanding the lifting of all restrictions because some of them believe the whole COVID-19 thing is a hoax and others are protesting government infringement on their “freedom”. I suppose these same individuals are opposed to speed limits and stop signs as well.

We have the freedom to be stupid. We have the freedom to believe what we want to believe. We have the freedom to risk our own lives. But should we also have the freedom to put others lives at risk without consequence? The most vulnerable among us are being offered as sacrifices to the gods of money and freedom of movement. The scientists and health experts have made it clear that we are not yet adequately prepared re-open the country in a way that will protect human lives. But too many American leaders are ignoring these warnings re-opening businesses. And way too many Americans are rushing into bars and restaurants.

I am really afraid. The cost in the coming months will be the premature deaths of vulnerable loved ones, healthcare workers, first responders, and people working on the front lines who provide the essentials. I’m not ready to become a victim of insensitive, selfish, or ignorant Americans who do not take this COVID-19 threat seriously.

So, my husband and I will continue to be “one of them”: the mask-wearing, handwashing, surface sanitizing, glove wearing, and social distancing humans with even less freedom of movement because of the scary Americans out there who ignore the science and choose to act as if there is no danger.

I’m in love with K-Pop which is South Korean pop music. I enjoy it with or without the English subtitles. The K-Pop world paid close attention to the artistry of Michael Jackson that combines catchy music, incredible dance choreography, a moving storyline, mad aesthetics with attention paid to makeup, clothes, set design, camera angles and lighting, and production. K-Pop captures and nurtures my soul in the same way Michael Jackson captivated me. Surprisingly, it was my pre-debut Astro boys who lead me to the most popular K-Pop boy group on the planet, BTS. It was while watching pre-debut Astro members dancing to catchy songs that prompted me to find the songs. I discovered that both the songs and the choreography were from BTS. And so, I delved into BTS and became a huge fan.

The name BTS stands for a few things. Originally, Big Hit Entertainment had them slated as a hip-hop group when they debuted in June 2013 and BTS stood for Bangtang Sonyeondan which translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts. They soon switched over to K-Pop and they became idols, wearing makeup and losing some of the hard edge. The seven member group, BTS, then became also known as the Bangtang Boys. In 2017 they added Beyond the Scene to the meaning of BTS. I get it, people evolve. And this group has definitely evolved over the 10 years they have spent living and working together as a unit. Like Astro, the members each have a unique personality, appeal, and role.

The leader of the group is RM (Rap Monster). Like his name implies, he is a rapper. Apparently he took a lot of heat from the hip hop scene when he became an idol, switching to K-Pop. He is the only member fluent in English and talks about learning English by watching the sitcom “Friends”. There are two other rappers, Suga and J-Hope, although Jungkook also raps. Suga is an introvert like me. He is an award winning and prolific songwriter who never intended to become famous. They call him the grumpy member. J-Hope is the exact opposite, full of positivity and great dance moves as the lead dancer, donning the strict dance teacher mode at times. Jin is the oldest in the group, born in 1992, and he is a really great singer. He is considered the visual, meaning the really good-looking one. And yes, he is good looking. But beyond good-looking is the incredibly sexy and charismatic Jimin. He was formerly a contemporary dancer and it shows. This young man is so attractive that even straight males have a hard time resisting his sex appeal. He is the shortest member, a lead vocalist, and a main dancer. He is the member my eyes are drawn to the most. I would call him my bias (K-pop for favorite). V is another that was recruited as a visual. He too is a lead dancer and vocalist. And finally, there is my other bias, Jungkook, the youngest in the group. This kid, born in 1997 does it all. He is the main vocalist, a main dancer, he raps, and on top of that he is so handsome. He is also quite the athlete. That’s the low down on the members, now on to my favorite songs and videos.

I mentioned that Astro introduced me to BTS by covering two of their songs. Those songs were Boy in Luv (2014) and Dope (2015). Other songs that have gained widespread popularity include I Need U (2016), Danger (2014), and Mic Drop (2017). Although the videos of these songs are well done, I prefer the live performances because videos depict such harsh realities and a harder edge of hip hop. My favorite early videos are Dope (2015) and Blood Sweat & Tears (2016) which is artistically beautiful. Also artistically wonderful is Fake Love (2018) and Black Swan (2020).

And finally, their most recent releases have captured my attention with more views than I care to admit. I’m captivated by the pure fun of Boy With Luv and the music and power of On, the Kinetic Manifesto Film. There are so many other BTS songs and videos that I am fond of. I have officially joined the fandom of BTS, called the A.R.M.Y.

This week I saw and also experienced the emerging mental health challenges stemming from the Corona virus pandemic. I think combining major life changes, social separation, physical threat, ambiguity, conflicting information, and financial stressors is a recipe for a widespread mental health crisis that differs among individuals affected. I saw a variety of manifestations of the crisis this week, starting at home.

My husband has always struggled with claustrophobia. But this week, the condition hit him hard and he couldn’t stay home. The back and front yards were no longer enough. I didn’t realize what was going on until he insisted beyond any iota of rational thought that he had to go to the car dealership to get a replacement for a cracked tail light that was under warranty until December. When I pointed out that it was still April and that the tail light could wait, he protested to the point that there was no stopping him. With mask and sanitizer in hand he left the house. No surprise that the dealership didn’t have the tail light and would have to order it. The following day, he made an unnecessary trip to COSTCO for snacks. Friday, it was another trip to the car dealership without even a call to see if the part was in. Saturday, he went golfing since they reopened the golf course. Needless to say, his irrational behavior was cause for tension between us as I reminded him of the need for social distancing, the risks of exposure in the places he was going, and the pre-existing conditions we both have that put us at particular risk. His emotional need to get out of the house was much stronger than his fear of the threat of what he might bring home. That was my husband this week, but I’ve had my own struggle.

I’ve been overly stressed by work-related changes and challenges along with a coincidental flare up of my asthma. In addition, and not surprising, my gastric ulcer flared up, leaving me in enormous pain. I haven’t been physically well, but I pushed myself to at least keep working Monday – Friday. I’ve been eating my ulcer diet, sleeping seven hours, and exercising with stretching, the treadmill, hand weights and gardening a few minutes a day for sunshine and fresh air. And then out of the blue, something else hit me. It was either burnout or mild depression. For about an hour and a half on late Friday afternoon, I was overcome with this feeling of wanting to just give up. I felt like I couldn’t move. I couldn’t read another email, do another Zoom call, respond to another question or take another phone call. I wanted to quit everything. If this was what life was going to be like, I wanted no part of it. I went and sat on the front porch. I went and sat on the back patio. I felt tired of it all. I was thankful that it was late Friday afternoon, meaning I had the weekend ahead to recover and to think of a way forward.

Experiencing my own mental health issues and that of my husband’s this week, helped me understand a little better why people are out there protesting and demanding an end to the shut down even before it is safe to reopen. People with anxiety issues are likely more anxious. People with anger issues are likely more angry. The list goes on about how underlying mental health issues are being exasperated by the crisis. As we collectively experience the death of society as we know it, we had better pay attention to mental health. Let’s recognize that our lives have been completely disrupted by the death of loved ones, the fear or reality of financial ruin, the absence of social gatherings, the massive adaptations to lifestyles, the pressure to be productive, and the loss of freedom of movement. Add to that the threat of contracting an unpredictable disease and the constant barrage of news, misinformation, and ambiguity about the future. There is no end in sight and that makes the situation more difficult for all of us.

I know I’m not alone in struggling to maintain a healthy outlook in the midst of this pandemic. But one thing I do know is that we can’t deny what is happening and pretend like we can go back to life as we knew it. Change is hard and coming to terms with a new normal is not without heartache, setbacks, and yes, pain. But if we can listen to cooler heads, acknowledge our struggles, give ourselves a break, take better care of our body, mind, and spirit, and then figure out reasonable solutions, we’ll get through this as stronger individuals and as a stronger and hopefully more equitable society.

I was standing at my kitchen window early Wednesday morning and noticed how much bluer the sky looked. That was before I realized that it was Earth Day and heard reports on the morning news that the air quality in Los Angeles had gone from among the worst in the world to among the best. The reason was that we were not driving as much. So true. The last time I filled up my tank was February 26, 2020 and I still have half a tank remaining. COVID-19 has uncovered a lot about our lifestyles that if taken to heart could propel us toward a whole new America.

It has become apparent that fewer people on the road everyday improves our air quality and thereby also improves our health. Many of us have learned that we can do much if not all of our jobs from home. Perhaps a new normal after we get through this crisis will be a change in the expectation that everyone has to show up at the office everyday. I could easily see myself working from home three of the five days each week, saving gas, freeing up parking spaces, reducing traffic, and contributing to cleaner air and reduced carbon emissions.

Another issue COVID-19 has brought to light is the lunacy of our employer-based healthcare system. As people lose their jobs, we see that they are also losing their health insurance and therefore their access to healthcare. I heard the heartbreaking stories of people losing their jobs and with it losing their employer-based healthcare and now having to choose between lifesaving medications and food for their families. This system is obviously broken and not serving us well. We need to get to Medicare for all immediately. Perhaps employers can take those funds they currently pay in health benefits and contribute towards a combination of raises for employees to cover their new premiums and to the Medicare system directly.

And then there is the need for greater internet bandwidth throughout the country and in my own neighborhood in particular. It became a reality for me these past few weeks as the internet became slower, unstable, and even crashed throughout the day on Friday. It was a frustration that made Zoom meetings difficult and access to shared work networks impossible. It took up to 10 minutes to log into some websites I use only for the connection to be lost over and over again. We have the need and opportunity to improve here.

And finally, this pandemic has revealed the absolute incompetency and dangerous behaviors of president Trump. Thankfully, his polls are finally falling as his supporters and those who never paid attention see him out there not only lying about his administration’s slow response and his suggestion of ridiculous remedies like drinking or injecting disinfectant directly into the human body. November might finally rid us of Donald Trump.

COVID-19 is showing us where change is not only possible, but necessary and even desirable. We could and should have a whole new America if we are smart.

My strong affinity for Asian dramas all started about a year and a half ago when one of my students returned from studying abroad in China and commented about how he enjoyed a Chinese television drama on Netflix called, “Meteor Garden”. Having traveled extensively throughout China myself and with my daily advising of so many Chinese students, I thought it might be nice to get acquainted with China’s more modern culture and college setting through an entertaining story about Chinese college students–the population I deal with daily. So, I watched all 52 episodes, three times!

The first time through, I was put off by behaviors we would never tolerate as college administrators. But I loved the story and found myself more understanding of the family pressures my students experience. While watching, I found myself full of emotional ups and downs. I laughed and cried as characters and situations evolved. There were times when I was utterly appalled by the villains who worked to tear young lovers apart and then grew to understand and empathize with their motives. I was hooked. First, I was fascinated by the cultural values on display, the difference in family dynamics, the popular Chinese music, the scenery, and the few Chinese phases I came to recognize. I ended up downloading the musical soundtrack for “Meteor Garden” and watched the music videos on YouTube. I came to realize that Dylan Wang, the male lead is a popular rock artist in China. Other students told me that the show was a Chinese remake of a Korean drama, “Boys Over Flowers”.

I moved on to another popular Chinese television drama, again featuring Chinese college students. These were computer science students in “Love 020” involved in the gaming industry in China. It too, was a romance and featured the typical love triangle, the social-economic stratification, and the villains who eventually redeem themselves. It too became a favorite and I learned that the handsome male lead, Yang Yang, was also a popular singer and dancer in China. He dances much better than he sings. It was through watching some of his videos that I learned that black choreographers and musicians seem to act as musical mentors in China.

I’ve watched many Chinese television dramas on Netflix since then. My favorites are “Here to Heart”, “Single Ladies Senior”, A Love So Beautiful”, “I Hear You”, “Somewhere Only We Know”, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”, “Unintended Love”, and “Diamond Lover”. Amazon Prime has them too, and I enjoyed “My Little Princess”, “Whirlwind Girl” and “Attack it, Lightning!”. I had to move to another streaming platform, “Rakuten Viki” to find more content and it was worth paying for a subscription to get rid of the commericals. I absolutely loved, “Go Go Squid” and I think I’ve watched all 42 episodes about five times. I’ve enjoyed the twelve episodes of a popular historical drama, “The Story of Yanxi Palace” that I learned about through its theme song. My students tell me that its a tragic story, so I’m waiting for a mood that will permit me to get through the entire saga. It’s so well done and the music is so beautiful. It was listening to JJ Lin sing the theme song (“The Sound of Snow Falling”) and its many music videos that led me to the drama on the Viki platform. I’ve since found the lyrics to the song and it is absolutely beautiful.

I thoroughly enjoy Chinese dramas although the Chinese government certainly has its fingerprints all over them and product placement is very evident. The level of nationalism is evident as personal ambition expressed by the main characters is always about bringing prominence to China and the Chinese on the world stage. Getting past that, the storytelling and music and learning about everything from gaming, international business, martial arts, cyber security, fencing, medicine, violin making, science, diamond design, or ice sports, movie making, and the culture and language itself is fun and eye-opening.

I started with China and then added Taiwanese and Korean dramas. But those reflections are for future posts.

I became upset listening to a Republican lawmaker, who is also a physician from Louisiana, explain why over 70% of the deaths from COVID-19 in his state were African American. As expected, he sited the higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma among the African American community. But when the interviewer tried to delve into the underlying reasons behind these pervasive conditions, the Republican refused to go there. He refused to acknowledge the role of governmental policies around health, urban pollution, education, wealth accumulation, criminal justice and discrimination that have hampered and continue to impede the progress of African Americans since slavery. Even when reminded of his role in Congress beyond medicine, he chose to ignore the root causes for the pre-existing health conditions that have made African Americans so vulnerable.

The continued legacy of the mindset behind slavery and Jim Crow is discrimination against African Americans in nearly every system in the country. Our inability to accumulate wealth is the result of longstanding and ongoing educational disparities, job discrimination, healthcare treatment disparities, housing discrimination, banking discrimination, environmental injustice, and criminal justice disparities. The most recent statistics show that in 2018 about 21% of African Americans lived below the poverty line compared to less than 12% of the general population. Poverty is stressful, destroys relationships, reduces access to life-sustaining needs like healthier foods, better education, basic preventative healthcare, adequate legal defense, clean air and water. It’s like the toxic circumstances African Americans are born into is a burden carried throughout life. For example, I’ve had asthma since I was 2 years old as a product of my early environment. I have high blood pressure like most African Americans in my family. These conditions coupled with being over 60 make me especially vulnerable to COVID-19 mortality.

But I’m not poor. I’m educated and have a job that has me working from home. I continue to get a paycheck. I can and am limiting my exposure. I consider myself lucky. But too many African Americans are not lucky. Many African Americans have either lost their jobs or have jobs working in places where they risk daily exposure to the virus. Without the proper protection, they are having to choose between a paycheck and their health. Too many are locked away in prison or jail and are being exposed against their will. Some, like that Republican doctor would be apt to blame African Americans for their poverty and risk factors.

To people like that Republican doctor, I would say that for African Americans to achieve stability in this country takes more determination, greater intelligence, higher levels of energy, and greater resilience and emotional intelligence than the average American. Most people are average in intelligence, stamina, and determination. To require a group of people to be superhuman to overcome the added roadblocks and obstacles placed in their way every day so that they can achieve what others achieve by just being average is unreasonable. Most of us are not exceptional. But that is what America expects today of every African American. And if we are not, then we are to blame for our blight.

Ours is a country that discriminates both institutionally and individually against African Americans. I know this first hand because I have experienced it all first hand. Everything from teachers who have to be forced to provide rigorous learning opportunities, to banks who require additional layers of scrutiny for loans, to employers who attempt to limit hiring, promotion, and pay, to nurses who under-estimate the pain of black women in labor. I’ve fought through all of these discriminatory practices multiple times. I know this is the reality of most of my African American friends and family.

So, this virus is coming for the vulnerable. The sad thing is that African Americans have been made vulnerable by our society. When people blame the victim like this Republican congressman did, I don’t see this current reality as any different from when the government sanctioned the distribution of blankets with Smallpox among Native American populations. The result is the same, the eradication of an undervalued minority group.

My husband injured his hip and needed medical help this week. With fear of COVID-19, he didn’t want to go to the doctor’s office and thankfully his doctor isn’t seeing patients in the office anyway. He learned from the receptionist that the appointment would be by teleconference to which my husband expressed anxiety. Being chronically “old school” in just about everything, he’s never used Skype or Zoom or any kind of social media platform. The receptionist asked if there was anyone in his home who could assist him with the set up when the time came? I spoke up and told him to respond by saying, “yes”. The appointment went off without a hitch. We have the internet, wifi, a blood pressure machine, a scale, and a thermometer. He reported his own vitals and symptoms to the doctor and after responding to a lot of questions, he secured both a diagnosis and a prescription. This whole incident got me thinking about what could lie ahead once we are on the other side of this pandemic.

We now understand that having access to a smart phone and laptop, high speed internet, and wifi are essential infrastructure items in the world today. This infrastructure allows students to continue with school, it allows many people to continue working, it allows online banking, it allows families and friends to connect anywhere in the world, and it allows patients to reach doctors remotely. Moving forward, we can use this infrastructure to save time and more importantly we can reduce our driving and gas emissions. I already do my banking online and most of my shopping with the exception of most groceries is also done online. But that, too, can easily change. With this rapid change in our physical distancing, it’s clear that our most pressing infrastructure needs have also changed.

In this world where disaster looms around every corner, Congress should invest in technological infrastructure that reaches across every corner of the country to increase both access and our overall bandwidth moving forward. We need these virtual roads and bridges as much as the physical roads and bridges that we collectively pay for with local and federal tax dollars. Every low income student and senior should be provided with a laptop and smartphone as an essential items. Access to the internet should be publicly paid for just as libraries and schools are. There are savings and efficiencies to be realized without reducing effectiveness if we maintain some of the services online that this pandemic has necessitated. Medicare would do well to provide low income seniors with thermometers, scales and blood pressure machines to help make this possible.

I envision a new normal once we get past this pandemic where conference rooms (not offices), restaurants, theaters, churches, parks, sports arenas, gyms, and concerts are social gathering places. Learning, office work, most doctor’s visits, banking and shopping can all be done at home and perhaps for fewer hours in the day, freeing up time for socializing and truly enjoying life. This pandemic has opened my eyes to this new possibility. And I like it. It would take some getting used to, but the savings on child care, on gas emissions, and on stressful commutes to work might be worth it.

During this pandemic I have been grateful that we have a home gym, computers, smartphones, an internet connection, password protected wifi, a pantry full of food, water, and toilet paper. What we don’t have is a personal generator to keep it all going in case of a blackout or other natural disaster. That’s on my new shopping list for this new unpredictable world we’re living in. Of course, my capable husband will research and purchase the most appropriate one for us on Amazon and it will be delivered right to our front door within two days.

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.

At work this past Monday we were all in the building together maintaining social distancing which included our daily meeting via Zoom from our respective offices. By Thursday we were taking shifts in the building. By Friday the entire building was shut down and we were ordered to work from home. Thankfully, I was allowed to gather items I need to work from home and now once a week I will be allowed into the building for a couple of hours alone to handle critical tasks. Beyond the need for flexibility, this pandemic is teaching us important lessons. First among them is that leadership is important. Accurate information is paramount. Hope is not a plan. Technology is essential. Rainy day funds are necessary. And how we behave affects others. It is also highlighting our major failings.

I have a daughter-in-law who is an MD working at a major hospital. By virtue of her work, my son has been working from home for a while because her hospital made it clear that she will likely become infected and so will her household. They are young and healthy and so they take it in stride. But what does this say about our lack of preparedness? Hospitals, urgent care facilities, and doctor’s offices don’t have adequate supplies to care for themselves while caring for their patients. There aren’t enough masks, hospital beds, or ventilators. Our government saw this coming and did nothing. Hope is not a plan. Denial and closing borders is not preparation. It’s disheartening to hear doctors and nurses pleading with the public for the supplies they need to treat those of us who become ill without exposing themselves and their own families. We have to step up now and produce what is needed. The continued failure of leadership at the highest level is striking and dangerous.

Our other failing in this “information age” is not doing a good enough job convincing people that their behavior affects others. I get that Americans are rugged individuals who pursue their own best interest first. We aren’t a collective society that looks first at what is in the best interest of the whole. When faced with a situation such as this, our pursuit of individual fun, protection, and profit harms the most vulnerable among us. For a nation full of religious people, we ignore many of religious moral commands. We are in fact our brothers’ keeper and the way this virus spreads drives this point home. The college students enjoying spring break on Florida beaches, the hoarding and fighting in the grocery stores, the scammers looking to make a buck online using the virus are all evident of the failure of individualism. We need to strengthen our teaching around the greater good.

And finally, this pandemic has shown just how financially vulnerable most of us are. The poorest can’t take advantage of the technology that is making some life functions doable–like working, shopping, socializing, and learning from home. In addition, most Americans don’t have a rainy day fund to get through an economic emergency like this when income is cut off. I’ve listened to every financial advisor for years talk about setting aside at least 6-8 months worth of expenses. I realize that while we were in the position to do this, many people are living pay check to pay check because wages and income have not risen except at the very top. So, as jobs and paychecks disappear, in order to prevent a full-on economic collapse our government will need to give people money. I understand this. But all of us who are able should do extra too by donating to food banks, by giving or lending funds to friends and family members who are out of work. I think about my nail and hair salons that were ordered to close. We can’t visit our favorite restaurants because they, too, are closed. Theaters are closed. All those workers are now without income. Were they able to save 6-8 months worth of expenses to weather this emergency? It is doubtful. So, they won’t be able to pay their rent, utilities, buy food or other necessities without help. I’m going to give where I can. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call to Americans to save more and spend less in the future. Even more importantly, perhaps employers will start paying their workers better so that they can continue to spend and save, too.

There are a few bright spots in all this. Some employers like Mark Cuban are still paying workers who work during NBA games. Some singers like John Legend are posting living room concerts on YouTube to cheer people up. Some governors are taking leadership in ways our president has failed to step up. Most cell phone providers have eliminated extra charges for exceeding data limits. And technology is proving to be a life saver for work production and for teaching and learning in most places. And the brightest spot are by far our health care providers who are putting themselves on the line for the greater good.

This virus has exposed areas where we need to improve. But it has also exposed the generosity of some and the insensitivity of others. We’re all in this together and we rely on each other. So, I hope that is the biggest lesson we take from this pandemic.