The noise of everyday life is the noise of being perpetually busy. The shutdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic provides a chance to open ourselves up.
Too Busy – Usually Real, Sometimes Less So
The frenetic pace of our lives is something we all bemoan at times, often with good reason. There is no time to think, or to reflect, plan, organize, or to reach out to neglected friends or family. We know the drill: job(s) leaving us exhausted; clutter that begs to be cleared; sleep deficits; the good book we’ve wanted to read, but don’t start because it’s “too long”; food wolfed down without really sharing a meal. How many marriages or other relationships suffer from inadequate time to really listen and share unvarnished thoughts and feelings?
Being “too busy” isn’t even limited to the employed. Since retiring, one of my pursuits has been to seek a new excuse for being less effective than I should be. That one’s not going well.
Now Comes the Pandemic
It looks like our bluff is being called. For many of us, lack of time will not be a problem for a while.
As one enterprise after another (sports, theaters, museums, businesses, schools) shuts down, all events (games, tournaments, conventions, concerts, cruises, flights, meetings) are cancelled or postponed. For fans who wait all year for March Madness, as an example, no basketball is indeed madness. The list of what’s not happening is mind-numbing. The announcements should be for what still is happening.
This virus is taking away all the good distractions that give us relief from the bad stuff in life – you know, like illness.
That’s not the only irony. It feels unsettling that our normal reaction to adversity – to gather together for support and camaraderie – is the very thing we can’t do in this crisis. Meanwhile, all this shutting down is happening amid weather (in Jersey, at least) that announces Spring’s rebirth.
Here’s a weird thought: What will the nightly news or the newspapers have left to cover? [“And now for the Sports, with Bob Skiffle. Bob?” “Thank you, Allison. Nobody’s playing. Back to you.”] A news broadcast will consist of the three C’s: Commercials , Crime, and Coronavirus, with a bit of weather thrown in at the end.
What Will We Do?
Forget what the reporting will be, though. What will we actually do with our time? How will Americans spend their time in a shut-down country? Even people whose jobs continue unabated during the shut-down will find most normal free-time activities unavailable. Imagine those whose jobs go away temporarily or (please, no) permanently. We sometimes say there’s nothing to do even when there’s everything to do. We know what we really mean at those times; what happens when it’s true?
We can read that good, too-long book or catch up on TV programming that we usually regret missing. Of course, we can also binge watch re-runs and endless drivel. There are other possibilities, some of them good.
To be clear, this is not to downplay the harm. There will be plenty. The worst harm, obviously, is to individuals who contract Covid-19. Beyond that, however, will be damage to people’s confidence and finances. There is no shortage of pundits telling us what all this means for the stock market, jobs, and the economy. The layoffs have already begun. State and federal tax revenues will plummet, even as the need for government assistance spikes. Yet…
Once we’ve cleaned all the stores out of disinfectant and secured more French-toast ingredients (bread, milk, eggs) than we could ever consume, there is opportunity here as well. If we can pause and take a deep breath, it might occur to us that we have time to think. The first thing to think about is Time itself.
Time Not Always On Our Side
Time is an artificial construct invented as a way to order our lives. Generally, it works. Time facilitates coordination of activity in a way similar to money facilitating commerce. It’s “midnight” at midnight because we agree to call it that.
Consider: The next credit card payment is due (let’s say) April 1, with a ten-day grace period, because that’s the agreement. Investors in the lender expect profits from payment of loans and collection of extra fees when late. All of which is fine, as far as it goes. None of this is cosmically ordained, however.
If furloughed borrowers do their best to make payment but come up short, how could lenders justify waiving late fees to their investors? Well, by saying, “We all know what happened here. Profits will be a bit down this quarter, but we’ll all be fine.” If the investors’ creditors in turn take a similar tack with them, and so forth, we smooth out the path to recovery.
In choosing to share the pain, within reason, we can lessen it to the benefit of all. (Being the creditor to a debtor in trouble is no fun, either.) This assumes, of course, that those able to meet their obligations will do so, rather than take advantage. Our system always depends on overall good faith. Also, when the economy comes back, we can make a point of hiring those who lost their jobs blamelessly.
All of this is to illustrate the bigger point: We can all give each other a break for a month, or longer if needed, and not just financially.
Wouldn’t it be great if, after this unwanted hiatus, we re-engaged with each other as a better people?
Becoming Better
Which brings us to the second, more important, thing to think about: we, ourselves, as individuals.
Whatever makes us better – introspection, honest self-assessment, meditation, study, prayer – this might be the chance to re-establish some good habits. Perhaps we can open ourselves up to new possibilities, or to abandoned aspirations, while the noise is shut down.
Maybe we acknowledge the good in each other that we take for granted. Say the things that “go without saying”. Learn something new. Bury a stupid grudge. Do some good where it’s needed. Gain insight. Rededicate ourselves to something worthwhile.
Maybe we find ourselves knowing, and liking, who we see in the mirror a little better next month than last.
Ken Bossong
© 2020 Kenneth J. Bossong