5 Authors Who Help Us Find Our Path Forward
Navigating our way through the pandemic requires education, understanding, and patience
Like many people, I find myself pontificating about life after the pandemic. We know the virus will pass one day, and we will make it to the other side. We try and visualize these days on the horizon, but our minds struggle to picture it. Our future is fuzzy, hazy, and slightly out of focus.
These five authors provide nuanced perspectives helping me process our current state of affairs.
Society
Author Yael Wolfe asks the vital question, “Is this a public health crisis…or a political one?” Living in a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she contrasts the liberal views of the metropolitan areas with the conservative reality of small towns. As a long time resident, she understands her community. Her observations of overt racism coupled with perceived governmental conspiracies and science denialism are described with compassion and understanding while avoiding endorsement.
I do not view the pandemic as a political issue. It is a health crisis. I struggle to understand why many people I know and love feel differently. I genuinely want to understand their perspective. Yael Wolfe’s article gives me insight, although not the peace of mind I wanted.
Brilliant writing. Disturbing topic
Science
New Medium writer and physician Bo Stapler shares an excellent article covering the Coronavirus mixed messaging regarding seasonality, vaccination, and contact tracing. In a light-hearted style but with surgical precision, he dissects these complex issues.
Writing
Author Tree Langdon ♾️published a timely article on dealing with online trolls. Most of us struggled this week as inflammatory, misleading, and often false information flooded our social media feeds. We are riding a COVID-19 emotional roller coaster. Friends, family, and colleagues amplify stories and memes. Some are helpful. Others do great harm. On a personal note, I needed to read this article this week. I appreciate the author’s perspective.
Health
Author Olivia Anderson covers the topic of anxiety in 6 simple steps. I see anxiety every day in my family, friends, patients, and colleagues. Fear and panic fill our social media feeds. Click-bait headlines take us to untrustworthy news sites. A lack of reliable information feeds worldwide anxiety. I appreciate her timely article written in a concise, easily understood manner.
Economy
The last article in this post is the one that will haunt me this week. Author Umair Haque challenges the idea that opening the economy post-pandemic will be a simple process. He paints a dystopian and pessimistic view of America’s ability to navigate through the next steps without systemic change.
While the article is quite political and likely to offend many readers, I challenge readers to process the underlying concepts through an apolitical lens.
His points are applicable regardless of who wins the elections in 2020.
I would also like to thank author 🦄 Chris Hedges for her kind, compassionate response to my recent article. She reminded me of the societal need to show love and to care about everyone regardless of their political views or compliance with social distancing guidelines. Chris shared she has a high-risk medical condition making her particularly susceptible to COVID-19, but still managed to encourage love and compassion to all. Her comments were poignant and impactful.
