There have been numerous challenges in this first half of the year, not the least of which would be the global effects of the novel coronavirus. Jobs, family and overall security are still at risk and there is little anyone can do about it. The stress factor has increased with the coverage of fear-infused statistics and incessant health information that had its only basis in keeping clean, which we should be doing anyway. As it turns out, we were not doing a very good job of that in certain locations.

For one, jobs have impossible regulation changes and are forced to be compliant or shut down completely. Some people are losing their jobs and businesses because it just got too expensive paying rent while under a mandatory shutdown. Even with the government and bank assistance, it proves to be difficult and not very timely of a financial rescue. The burden has been too much for most small business and some large companies, as well. Most of these have had to downsize tremendously just to stay afloat enough to rebuild, and then, must retrain very frightened employees in brand new protocol. No matter where people go, the problem is everywhere.

Family is at risk because our elders are being denied care and company at the same time. With risk of contagion, young visitors have only recently been allowed in senior homes. Some of those seniors have already passed away from loneliness and had it attributed to covid-19, which technically could be true. Other seniors have passed away from lack of care with fear overriding health care workers sense of responsibility toward their patients. Dehydration (and thirst) is one of the prominent causes of death to seniors in these homes. Still more families have independent elders or elders living in the family home, like I do. Our concern lies with the actions and contact outside the home of every household member! We must take extra care, even after we get back home. We don’t need any chance of inadvertent infection risking our families lives.

Lastly, our security is compromised while we sit at home, under quarantine or go to work, risking our family’s health. The way of life has completely changed for most considering these two choices. The results are in: Financial security is sketchy, at best. The health risk is unspeakable and unpredictable. Both seem to be completely out of anyone’s control. Then there is the risk of doing simple things like going to the grocery or the bank, that can turn sour just because someone doesn’t believe the protocol should include them. The risk of someone violently defending their right to NOT wear a mask, thus endangering all in contact thereof, is a very real threat. The blatant disregard for others in the middle of a pandemic crisis is concerning at the very least!

When I put this SINGLE occurrence of the year into such a summary, it would seem that health, as a whole, should be at the forefront of our combined thoughts. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Politics, racial injustice, violence, and even a dead whale in the middle of the Amazon forest has effectively turned our gaze away from our own health and wellbeing. The risks we all take every single day is just as much of a concern as any of these things, or maybe more, considering personal health affects us all. Everything we do as individuals affects our world as much as an asteroid narrowly missing our planet (yes, that happened too). Until we can each take responsibility for our actions, I fear it may get worse.