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These certainly are disturbing times for all of us. We are experiencing something that, for many of us, is unprecedented in our lifetime.
Perhaps we can learn from our experiences – from our gut reactions to the threat of getting sick and dying, from wondering how our separated family are faring, to how we might eventually get through the economic and social effects of this pandemic.
Some of us have experienced the fear of being trapped in another country when airlines shut down or cruise ships were blocked. Some of us are experiencing the anxiety of having to work in close contact with potential carriers without proper protection.
Many of us are experiencing varying degrees of hopelessness, of anguish, of depression, and have a desire to bring this to a close as fast as possible.
Now, I ask you, how does the COVID-19 pandemic make you feel? How long did it take before you started to get cabin fever? How long will it take for you to get back to work and feed your family? How long before you dare to walk outside and take your chances against an invisible foe? And - imagine, this is your “normal.”
We have a unique opportunity forced on us to experience the fear, anxiety, entrapment, of those trying to escape war zones; of those trying to escape debilitating poverty and disease; of those desperate to earn enough to feed their kids; of those hoping their children and grandchildren do not get caught up in the conflict and die as collateral damage.
We can feel frustration at being forced to dumb down our lives, but can we imagine the panic and terror of those who have no resources to escape their adversaries. Can we even imagine, as we wait in the airport in Madrid or Cabo or Miami for weeks to get home, the experiences of those desperately trying to exit Germany in 1936, but finding all routes blocked?
Remember your gut feelings about COVID-19 the next time you look at refugees, and immigrants. They are feeling the same hopes, fears, and anxiety you are under our temporary isolation and lock down. They are looking to get their children to safety. They are seeking any opportunity to earn a living to feed their families.
They are looking to escape continuous death and destruction, much as you are, today, trying to survive a temporary nuisance.
Dennis Rizzo, Ross Greenwood
Orillia
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