The coronavirus, COVID-19, or whatever you want to call this global pandemic we are dealing with, well it sucks for lack of a better word. I am sure many of you are reading this and agreeing, and if you do not, good for you.
The MLB, NCAA, NBA, IHSAA and every other lettered sports organization has gone dormant, silent. Selfishly, I am not happy because I enjoy watching these things, but when I think about the amount of people who put so much time and effort into these sports, I cannot help but feel discontented.
Throw in the fact that many people make livelihoods off these sports from restaurants, to hotels, to gas stations, to the people working at the games, and you cannot but feel sad and helpless for them.
Now these are all just side effects of an overall virus that is sickening and killing people at an alarming rate. Sure, the flu kills more people than this...so far, but we are only three months into this and the numbers double every few days. What started in China and has exploded in Iran, Italy and now Spain is heading our way if we do not act quickly and severely.
It will be painful, it is painful, but we can get past this if everyone understands that we are in this together. I may be carrying the virus, but not feeling symptomatic and I could pass this on to someone who can not fight it off as well or at all. Even as I write this and I think about sending it out into the world, I know I am going to be attacked for fanning the flames, spreading panic, but a friend of mine, Kirt Page, put it into great words the other day: "We too often mistake precaution with panic."
What if we are wrong and we are over reacting? Sure the economy is going to be hurt big time by this, but once we are virus free it will rebound quickly and strongly I have no doubt.
What if we are right? Well, we may never be able to prove it if a quarantine works, but if it does not, at least we tried something.
It is terrible, depressing, and sad because so many of our lives have been affected by this from social distancing, the loss of our beloved sports, to economically.
But what has it done for us?
We have slowed down.
We have spent more time with our families.
We are finding other things to do with our time.
And hopefully, as the world has slowed down, we are seeing what truly matters in this world...our family and friends' health and toilet paper.
“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.”
Psalm 103:19
