by Robert Fischer
One reason people say history repeats itself–it doesn’t–is because people continue to make the same mistakes over and over. Frequently the following generation repeats the mistakes of the former and so on. This is where we find ourselves in confronting the scourge of the virus that has preyed on us since back in March when it first got our attention.
I remember watching the first news of the coronavirus as it arrived in Washington state with first a case or two, then some deaths, and then watching it spread and erupt in other states. That was back in March, I believe, and I was still down on St. Simons. Everyday I would record the response and closings by walking and driving about the island. Belatedly people took notice, and finally shops and restaurants began to close, and the streets were momentarily deserted. This only lasted for a short time before people started to resume normal activities if with some restrictions such as masks and distancing themselves. For awhile here and in other states the number of infections and deaths started to go down. This fall things have gotten worse again over the entire nation. This is where we find ourselves today.
What dumbfounds me is that we have learned nothing from the first experience back in early spring. History, indeed, does seem to be repeating itself. Here in Dahlonega people are still dining in at the local barbecue places, the Mexican restaurant, and other popular eateries. I suspect I will find it to be the same when I return to St. Simons.
We have all witnessed the surge in infections and deaths this fall with predictions that it is going to get worse going into the winter months. This time it seems more virulent than ever with more and more cases and record deaths surpassing those back in late spring and summer. And what do we do? We keep putting ourselves into risky situations and and letting our guard down.
I do understand that we need to keep going on with our lives. I feel especially awful about the small businesses and restaurants in our communities. Like you, I am sick of being cooped up and unable to resume my normal routines. I support finding ways to do so safely and sensibly so that the economy prospers and jobs are secure. It’s the safe and sensible ways that seem to be eroding!
My experience tells me that we continue to get slack in being careful. Families and friends got together for Thanksgiving, resulting with a spike in infections, and the promise is the same for this Christmas season. Somehow they feel that it is okay to gather in smaller than usual groups. Above all, we have a false confidence that their family members and friends somehow can’t have the virus. After all, they know them.
One must ask: is going out to your favorite restaurant for dinner worth risking yourself and others to catching the virus and possibly dying from it? Are two or three days with your family worth it, given that you have always seen them during the holidays? Can’t we put off this one year to see ourselves through to the next?
The vaccine has arrived. Just hang on through next spring.