The Upsides
Evanston RoundTable, April 2, 2020 It’s hard to imagine anything good coming from the Coronavirus. It’s a disaster of the first order, killing people by the thousands, shutting down the world economy, changing the way we live—maybe forever. But there’s an upside to everything. As they say, one door closes and another opens. What can we find of value in the current crisis? For one thing, it affects everyone. We all suffer—to greater or lesser degrees—and we all pull together. There is a mood of sacrificing for the greater good, doing our civic duty, and a palpable sense that the partisan differences that have so poisoned our politics for so many years have given way, at least in part, at least temporarily, to a kind of communal solidarity. It is important to recognize those who sacrifice the most. Health-care workers are on the front line, putting their lives at risk to provide testing and therapy. We give thanks for their courage and skills. There are also the less-recognized heroes, doing the essential if mundane jobs day in and day out: mail carriers, pharmacists, garbage men, airport workers, police and fire personnel, paramedics, truck and delivery drivers and others who work … Continue reading →