Everyone knows about COVID-19, or the coronavirus, and it seems like a hopeless situation with a lot of negatives. However, if we focus on the negatives of this situation, it is impossible to see the positives. It is not insensitive to look at the glass half full. I mean, if you want to see the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain, right? This is such a hard topic with various opinions to talk about. People deal with stress differently; some try to find the humor in it, others may want to advocate serious precautions, and others may ask themselves what they can do to help. Nevertheless, no one should undermine how each of us deals with these situations, because the reality is that there is no right way.
Whichever way you decide to cope, the truth of the matter is that people are dying and our actions could influence that. America is a country who greatly values its freedom, but writing off suggestions of quarantining and social distancing can be downright ignorant. At this time, self-quarantining, social distancing, and extra sanitization are all personal choices, not mandatory. Therefore, some people are not demonstrating these techniques listed prior, giving the virus more of an opportunity to spread. COVID-19 does not follow a calendar; there is no certainty about the end, and yet, people keep assuming this whole pandemic will simply end suddenly. China, with a population much higher than the United States, was able to contain COVID-19 and is on its way to ending it. I can’t help but think the reasoning is that the population was obedient to the proposals made by health officials to stop the spread of the virus. China also used authority to enforce these new implications. In the U.S. there is no force, just suggestion. What the population does not realize is stubbornness does not regard suggestion, and everyone that took and continues to take personal responsibility will suffer from it.
I am in no position to propose that the United States use force to keep people inside their homes and discourage them from travelling, but as sad as it is to admit, can we really trust that everyone is going to do the right thing? The answer is no, especially if people do not even know the severity of the situation.
If the mindset changed from people feeling like they are trapped in their homes, to seeing it as a time for a break to do everything you were too busy to do, maybe more people would appreciate this whole social distancing thing. Clean out your closet, DIY your clothes, cook with your mom, play games with your siblings, workout at home, read that book you bought months ago, or make cards and send them to family members. Spend time on yourself; maybe we were all too busy and caught up in life that we forgot to focus on ourselves. Time is one of the most precious things that we all have, maybe this quarantine is reminding us of that. However you decide to spend this time of solitude, let’s continue to spread only positivity.