Pardon the war references. But today America reached a grisly milestone in this pandemic: its millionth confirmed infection with the novel coronavirus. It is expected to reach another grisly milestone within the next 24 hours: the number of American deaths related to the pandemic will surpass the number of Americans who died in the Vietnam War: 57,939 names are listed on the memorial wall, which includes some who were wounded during the war and later died of complications from those wounds. I believe a few hundred more died of self-inflicted wounds after the fact. The U.S. military tally is higher and may include those who died afterward at their own hands: 58,220.
Please note that I did not make up that comparison. I heard it on Sirius Satellite Radio on my way home from the landfill this week. And there's no judgment here in terms of which is worse, pandemic or war. Neither is better nor worse; they are totally different situations with different causes, different numbers that can be plucked from the statistics. It just got me thinking.
Either way, it is worth noting it took nearly 20 years for the Vietnam War to claim nearly 58,000 lives, and more years to arrive at the 58,220 figure.
Until now, the event causing the greatest number of casualties in modern times within the United States was 9-11, a horrific event that took a few thousand lives in a very limited geographic area, and mostly in a single day. Like the Vietnam war, some deaths were self-inflicted, albeit under very different circumstances. The Civil War, in the mid-1800s, did of course claim basically nothing but American deaths over the course of a few very long years.
Both the war and the 9-11 attacks produced victims and heroes, although it took a few decades for some Vietnam War veterans to be recognized for their sacrifices (whether by choice or by draft) because of the political strife that surrounded that conflict.
NPR reports that on April 28, the death toll related to COVID-19 has surpassed the 57,000 mark; hence, surpassing the American death toll of the Vietnam War.
The first casualty of COVID-19 is believed to have happened in the United States in early February, before anyone realized it existed in this country. That was less than THREE MONTHS ago.
Just think about that for a few minutes. Twenty years versus three months. There will be no mass memorial in our nation's capital recording the names or calling out of the names as a bell tolls (and no anniversary for doing any of that) or public release of much information about each and every casualty. Some media outlets are trying to recognize who some of the victims were, how their lives impacted their communities or at least their names and ages. But it's really more than it's humanly possible to absorb in that sense. Health care workers and first responders certainly should -- and may eventually -- be hailed as the heroes of this pandemic.
So in my humble opinion, anyone who thinks this is not a huge big deal, who thinks it's more important to get the economy moving than it is to protect human life, or who thinks the media is overstating the threat, is just in denial. Or worse.
And that is why I am not chafing at the bit to get back to normal. I want the normal to which I return to be as safe as possible. I desperately miss my friends, my acquaintances, my family members that I am not able to be physically close to for the time being. I miss my daily routines, my part-time job, and especially my church family.
But I do not want to venture out without assurances that we really have turned the tide, that the curve is not just flattened but disappearing, and not without assurance of some sort that people will maintain the kind of social distancing necessary to keep us all as safe as possible. And by social distancing, I do not mean a forever stay-at-home life fearful of going out, but just that people will use some common sense, and take this thing seriously and behave responsibly.
And I have to wonder how our society will have changed when all is said and done. I hope and pray that we will emerge from this more united as fellow Americans, with some kind of epiphany about what's really important in life and how we can best make use of the resources available to us to find a deeper sense of meaning and purpose than trying to acquire as much wealth and power and stuff as we possibly can -- each for ourselves. It would be amazing if we could trade that pursuit of a false and perilous happiness for a longing to experience a deeper happiness that comes from true fellowship, truly valuing our family relationships and friendships above material goods, and a sense that we are, indeed, our brothers' keepers, that it is more blessed to give than to receive, but it's important to develop the capacity to receive with gratitude as well as give to those in need and those we love.
Next post I'll get back to my life in quarantine, or lockdown, or whatever you want to call it. But strange times can lead to some strange thoughts, can't it?
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