May has arrived, and it marks the beginning of the third month of sheltering in place. My wife and I have been OK through it all thus far. We’ve been able to secure what we need, and without knowing it we had stocked up on essentials before the shelter in place orders had begun. We intend to continue sheltering in place for some time to come, because in a lot of ways, “sheltering in place” is really our day-to-day lifestyle.
I find I continually have to express how lucky we are during this pandemic. We are in a location where cases of COVID-19 are small. We are both retired and receiving Social Security, which has not stopped. My retirement accounts have taken a hit, but they are still in relatively good shape, with a large amount in cash reserves. We have no children or grandchildren living with us. Our kids all appear to be relatively safe and taking all the necessary precautions. We don’t have any really pressing need to go out. I am using grocery delivery services partly as a means of helping workers get a salary with a new check stub creator tool. My house is in good shape and has no mortgage. I go to the local state park about 15 minutes away for a 30-minute walk as weather permits. I can usually find things to keep me busy; reading, an Oakland As ballgame from last year, and something to stream on the TV. We don’t really lack for anything. It does pay to be an introvert as well, because I don’t find that I am in any way missing other people. My lifestyle was not social before, and that hasn’t changed in the current environment. My wife is a little more social than I am (she’s on Facebook, for example), but she’s managed to keep in touch with local friends with phone calls and Facebook. Recently with did a “meal exchange” with another retired colleague, and that was fun. On the whole, though, it’s difficult to say that life for me has changed substantially.
Yet, it is very difficult to set that against the context of what I see and read. We listen to Gov. Cuomo’s NY update almost every day, and hearing the statewide number of hospitalizations and deaths is always a depressing reminder of how real the situation is for others. Buffalo, my nearest metro area, continues to be something of hotspot. To the west, though, in Erie County PA, the city of Erie is opening up a little, as is the neighboring county of Warren PA to our south. The choices people are facing nationwide between keeping alive and making a living are very harsh choices. I can understand small businesses that want to open, but I can also understand keeping restrictions in place to save lives.
It is a shame that in this country, which has always been so rich, people are taken care of so poorly. The social safety net is so full of holes that it might as well not exist. The rich care nothing for the poor and the workers that sustain industry in this country, and are callously willing to throw those lives away in return for more profit. The federal government is a complete disaster from top to bottom, and is far more willing to sustain and bail out the rich corporations than support the states and public workers.
As a country, we are crumbling. Years of economic inequality and poor public education have produced a nation of ignorant citizens who have been fed a myth, and who cannot exercise any sort or rudimentary problem-solving skills. The country is as dumbed down as the nation’s rich capitalists wanted it to become, incapable of seeing beyond the end of its collective nose. “Rugged individualism” has turned into “selfish individualism” as citizens across the country speak of their rights but never their responsibilities. From coast to coast, a large enough contingent of Americans capable of bringing this country to its knees believe their rights come at the expense of anything else, and in particular any responsibility to be concerned for others. They are the stooges that allow corporate consumer capitalism to run rampant and increase inequality.
Against this backdrop I continue to lead the small semi-reclusive life that I have, which is enough for me. The question is open as to how long I can maintain this existence as the world outside continues to struggle. Pressure will no doubt build to open society up more and more, as fear of going broke begins to outweigh fear of the virus. Like an engine that has run out of oil, we will soon seize up and throw a rod. It might not be pretty.
