Life during the pandemic, ESSAY 2

 

PANDEMIC SERIES, ESSAY 2

(Gaining control over our lives as best we could)

Whether in mid-pandemic or not, as individuals we have precious little control or influence over events, policies and outcomes at the macro (international, national, state) levels, even though they have significant implications for and impacts on our daily lives. We must look to civic, business and political leaders and expect them to act in good faith to honor America’s constitution and laws, reflect its values and advance economic and societal progress for the common good. Whether or not they live up to these ideals, however, our macro environment can still go to hell due to causes like the current pandemic, foreign terrorism or hacking of intelligence and other vital systems, espionage and war.

Living within a macro environment beyond our ability to exert control can be frustrating, terrifying, thrilling or satisfying, depending upon how that environment affects us individually at the micro level in terms of our quality of life and our freedoms. At the micro or personal level we learn to cope with our environment in ways that allow us to manage our affairs to our best advantage. Do conflicts exist between the macro and the micro?  You bet. The constant threats to our health and lives caused by the global pandemic have had crippling and oft-times deadly effects on personal lives and businesses since early 2020. Restraints on personal freedoms have impacted different people in dramatically different ways, leading to productive responses in some cases and totally counter-productive responses in others.

During the pandemic, a wide range of small businesses, especially personal service businesses, have been told they can be open for business as usual, followed by total closure a few weeks later, then approved for outdoor service only a month or two after being closed, then capacity-constrained indoor service, or take-out only (for restaurants) later on, etc.  How can any firm manage its way through such a roller coaster of public policies? In the end, results of the public policies have been emotionally, intellectually and financially disruptive if not deadly. Individual efforts to fight for control over one’s personal freedoms and ability to conduct business profitably are legitimate, at least in a vacuum. Yet too often they seem to be in conflict with overarching (macro) socio-economic issues, such as behaving in ways that will help stop the global pandemic in its tracks.

In Parts 3 and 4 of this Pandemic Series I will focus directly on challenges facing America’s macro environment, especially in those areas with direct or indirect ties to the global pandemic. Parts 5 – 8 include personal stories and examples of ways my wife and I try to maintain structure in our lives. Our objectives are to establish some routine, preserve order and enable planning, to reduce uncertainties imposed by external/macro sources, to give us hope, to save our sanity and to serve as the rationale for dreaming about a better tomorrow.