Putting Things in Perspective

Not a post about writing, today. Just something I need to say.

For all the people urging the reopening of the economy and ending social distancing in the Covid 19 pandemic because “we can’t let the cure be worse than the disease,” citing damage to the economy, lemme just say this.

The economic damage is temporary. Or it can be if the government prioritizes people rather than corporations. Most industries can recover given reasonable policies for rebuilding loans and restructuring debt. Factories will reopen, good will still be produced, consumers will still consume.

On the other hand, dead is dead.

And, not just in the abstract. That isn’t just hyperbole. My friends and I who work in health care are at risk, and I fully expect to bury people I work with. A few doctors have already died. Relative young ones, so this isn’t just about not making grandma sick..

So if a few more billion dollars of fake money in the stock market vanishes temporarily, or Goldman Sachs has to float people another month of paid time off so that more of us can live, I’m ok with that.

So maybe ramp up production of PPE and ventilators, stay home and suck it the fuck up, so that I can live to see my kid graduate high school.