Now we find ourselves in a national contagion of fear and loathing. Fear of a deadly invisible virus. Loathing of fellow Americans.
Fear because the number of people getting sick will double every six days. We all do the math to calculate the chances of dying for ourselves and loved ones.
Everyone will know someone the virus takes. We wonder, who will be the Rock Hudson of Covid19?
Democracy is a process of civil disagreement. Yet politicians, celebrities, friends and kin are shunned and vilified with slurs that would be a challenge to fight if used face to face. Civility may not be dead, but it is on life support.
We are better than this! Today’s warfighters, the Vietnam and Korean War Vets, the Greatest Generation and all the Americans who since the founding of our nation have sacrificed their own lives, liberty and pursuit of happiness to give us this great nation deserve better.
We must stop and stop now. Stop spreading unfounded rumors. Double check stories and advice before sharing. Stop reacting with anger to news stories and social media posts. Find ways to be a helper, not a victim, hater or bystander.
There are those, inside and outside our country, who will seek to exploit the situation to further divide us and further destroy our trust in our democratic institutions. You and I are the only hope to stop them.
I’m Joe Rosner and that’s my Perspective
