By: John C. Lesher
Remember the scene in JAWS when the mayor of Amityville ordered Chief Brody to remove his BEACH CLOSED signs and then told everyone it was safe to go back in the water? The end or reduction of corona 19’s mandated social distancing and the random attacks of a rogue killer shark aren’t quite the same, but the lingering doubts about personal safety are real in either case.
I have written in previous blogs that our trepidation concerning renewed close personal contacts won’t go away fully until we see a safe, effective and internationally utilized vaccine. We’ll slowly return to “normal,” but 12 months or more for development, testing, manufacture and distribution of a vaccine is what we hear from experts—let’s hope the “or more” part doesn’t materialize.
As normalcy returns, what will our lives be like outside the burrows we have inhabited for many weeks? I’ll assume that a reasonable supply/demand balance for toilet paper, paper towels and hand sanitizers eventually will materialize, but will you be eager to host Thanksgiving dinner this year? How will you greet and say good-bye to friends and family? Lots of hugs and kisses? Maybe not. Will you continue to work frequently from home or hop on the bus/train/subway and resume your daily commute?
A host of other such questions is unanswerable at the moment. Will my wife and I resume our pre-virus routine of dining out frequently? Movies followed by the really great Chinese place around the corner from the theatre? Broadway shows? Sporting events? One risk most of us will take is a visit to a hairdresser or barber. I say “most” in deference to my reality of being bald on top, although I’m beginning to look like Disney’s shaggy dog around my ears and neck. These matters all boil down to an inter-relationship between how willing we are to resume social contacts and--think about it-- how much money we wish to spend during that process.
I’ve made light of some things, but stark reality tells us that we are a nation with significant disposable income and our economy depends on a collective America getting off the couch and spending that surplus money on entertainment or simple pleasures. The fact that 22 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the few weeks since governors ordered restaurants and other places of congregation closed is testimony to the extent America’s economy is based on our non-essential spending habits. It’s a vicious downward spiral: by staying at home and not spending money, millions lose jobs because tips disappear and employers lack the cash flow to pay salaries; the millions who lose jobs obviously have far less money to spend and this exacerbation causes further job losses. That is why it is so vital that Federal and State governments send out assistance checks ASAP so that basic necessities can be purchased, money can circulate and, hopefully, job creation can resume.
As the days, weeks and months go by, this crisis will ease and individual choice will decide the extent to which we are willing to interact with our fellow humans. I respect that. However, a hunker-down mentality has to be replaced by one where we recognize the mutual interdependence of our health and personal safety and the economic health of society. Stated simply, we need to get out of the house and slowly, but surely, restock ourselves with what social scientists reference as “social capital.”
Social capital is a catch-all term for the myriad inter-relationships with others we engage in every day. It is the polar opposite of sitting at home in isolation. We need to rebuild social capital: buy a book and restart your book club discussions; reconvene your PTA and its fundraisers; go to the gym; patronize a restaurant; meet a friend for coffee; visit museums and houses of worship; start purchasing small luxuries again, even if they are purchased from an internet catalogue and delivered to your home.
Getting over this pandemic will be similar to a recovery from orthopedic surgery. Not doing the recommended exercises retards the pace of healing and downgrades the quality of the procedure. Putting up with the therapist’s demands speeds you to a more rapid recovery with superior results. In this case, “corona therapy” calls for rebuilding social capital by overcoming the fear of a resumption of interaction with others, coupled with the willingness to resume prior spending habits. The fear of renewed contact, and the resumption of a lifestyle, is visceral, but we have to make this choice at some point in the relatively near future. As for me, I’m looking forward to my local movie theatre followed by lo mein at that great Chinese restaurant.