One Small Voice: We must unite to defeat unseen virus

by Lynn Mandaville

The last time our country felt a strong sense of unity, a sense of common purpose and real brotherhood, was immediately following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Before we knew who the villains were, before we had even had time to recover from the shock, all Americans were one people.

If we couldn’t rush to Ground Zero to help with the cleanup, we were donating blood, donating money, donating toys and clothing.  We were gathering our families to our bosoms and renewing our devotion to each other as spouses, siblings, children, parents, friends, co-workers.  We were returning to church, learning again to be thankful for what we still had, praying for the families who had lost loved ones, and praying for the safety of first responders who had risked their lives on that fateful day and the seeming endless days that followed.

We seemed to have a clearer sense of perspective about the smaller trials and tribulations of daily life.

But time has passed, and a host of forces have come together to divide us, to confuse us, and to chip away at the values we had recast in cement as a country united against terrorism.

Now we are faced with a different enemy.

It is a sneaky little virus that has no regard for political fealty, religious faith, national origin, or sense of our sexual selves.

It is a stunningly beautiful little germ when seen under high magnification.  But it wreaks havoc with a human respiratory system when at its most vicious.

After watching and listening to news and press briefings, ad nauseum, I have at long last reached a mental attitude that is best for me right now.

Like many others of my political inclination, I have wrung my hands and sworn at the president like a crazy woman.  I have agonized over what his administration has done over these three years of Trump’s presidency.

I know, however, I can do nothing to change the man in the oval office, so I might as well accept that I can do nothing until November.

Instead of my usual reactions to things, I have decided to force myself into a new way of seeing my world.  I am taking time to look for anything that is positive as we move as a community through the corona outbreak.  Probing inside the grey cloud for the silver lining, if you will.

I am particularly impressed, now that his talents are being used, by our Vice President.  Heading up the corona virus task force, he is showing his organizational abilities and his facility with language to express clearly what is happening and why.

He is also showing great restraint when, after the President has said something not quite true or carelessly misleading, he steps up to the podium to set thing right without embarrassing the president or contradicting him in public. (Dr. Andrew Fauci has also shown this incredible talent to correct misinformation when the president misspeaks.)

It is arguable whether the administration delayed unnecessarily in alerting the American public about this imminent pandemic.  It is not arguable that the formal emergency preparedness team was dismantled by this administration, even after it was taken through its paces prior to assuming office in January 2017 to address just such a scenario as we are in.  What is admirable, however, is that those now in the thankless position of rescuing the remnants of that team are working diligently on our behalf.  No matter what roadblocks the president may put in their way, they are determined to minimize the tragedy for the country.

Because we face a different enemy this time, we cannot be on the front lines of recovery.  We can’t be at Ground Zero.  We can’t donate blood.  Donating clothing and toys is irrelevant.  And a lot of us sure don’t have spare money to donate to anything because we’re faced with a period of uncertain employment.

We can’t gather as family without risking the health of loved ones.  Gathering at church is also risky behavior.

What’s left, however, is to pray for the medical professionals, paraprofessionals, and hospital support staff who put in the dangerous hours for those hit worst by this tiny, virile, persistent little virus.

I am choosing to look for the unintended consequences of this pandemic.  For the acts of neighborliness, patience, and bravery exhibited by ordinary, everyday folk.

I choose to set aside my animosities in favor of regaining the post-911 unity America once enjoyed.

I may object to our president, but he and I are in this together, as are we all.

We can’t defeat the enemy in a military sense, but we can survive the aftermath of this war as an American family and work together to rebuild our community after the vast damage the little bastard germ is doing.

Peace and health to you all.