Should Have Been Tax Day in Normal Times

15 April 2020

Today, Wednesday 15 April 2020. This Wednesday in April should have been Tax Day in normal times.  These are not normal times are they, eh?  Days like today, and all the days since early March 2020, have been anything but normal.

Snow does not usually accumulate on 15 April.  Usually and normal are not synonymous.  Snow on 1 April would not be a surprise, but each day thereafter raises the likelihood that snow is over. The chance snow is done increases by percentage points on each day in April.  So, seeing a light dusting of snow today, on what would normally be Tax Day, was an unwelcome surprise. It was not expected so it was a shock, but it does happen occasion. What came out of mouth when I saw the snow was not an “ooh” or an “ah” but rather was a doubled worded profanity. The daytime temperature will be warm enough that by 11 am the snow should be gone.

The possibility of snow in April is one of those uncertainties that you just have to accept if you are going to live in the upper Midwest in America.  Living with uncertainty is not something we Americans do a very good job at.  We crave things that proceed in steps.  We want orderly progressions like going from grade school to middle school to high school.  We also want metrics to allow up know where we are in the path we are following, thus report cards and employee evaluations. Uncertainty drives us nuts and sends us wildly circling like a cat chasing its tail.

Every aspect of the coronavirus pandemic has had, and will continue to have, tons of uncertainty.  From the genesis of the virus to the date when we can return to a “normal” life, the facts and realities are unclear.  For people who do not like chaos the lack of clarity on these questions is frustrating in the extreme.  The result of this is bubbling over in all aspects of our limited lives right now.  

Congresspersons are arguing back and forth about the date that America should “reopen” and what metrics should be used to set that date.  Typical Americans are arguing on Facebook and other social media sites as to what is an essential job, or service, or shopping activity. The debate is heated and is increasingly coming down along party lines. 

There are the folks asserting the virus escaped from a Chinese lab.  So far, the scientific community is not backing this theory.  Aligned with them are the “let the old die for the economy” crowd. On the other side are those who insist we must listen to the scientists group and we must make our decisions based on empirical data collected from testing and monitoring group. I don’t think any of us can say we believe the government has handled the testing part particularly well.

Me, I fall into the pandemic is a science problem first and a political problem second group.  Given I will turn 64 in less than a week, I am not in the let the old die to save our economy group.  I also fall into the group that is willing to accept that at this point on 15 April 2020, a great many questions must to be answered with “I don’t know”. This ambiguous answer is the only answer on questions from where the virus started to will there ever be herd immunity to the novel coronavirus to when will it be safe to reopen businesses.

Not knowing is driving us crazy.  I use a newsfeed populated two thirds aby middle of the road papers and liberal papers and one third by conservative sites. My God the cry of heated voices on all sides is just insane.  I would deactivate my Facebook account except for the fact that I enjoy birthday greetings and well my birthday is coming up. 420 and Jay, easy to remember, right?

Life is chaos.  Life is change.  We try and generate paths that are predictable.  But God (or nature) does not think humans have a claim of right to a knowable life path. We have to accept that it will take time to ritualize the new normal caused by the coronavirus.  We will be inconvenienced and hurt but the rushed plans put into place by various states to stem the increase in coronavirus cases have been undertaken in good faith.  I am sorry you can’t buy tomato plants just yet, but I don’t want to die for your heirlooms.

The Buddhists are right in their teaching on acceptance and non judgement as it relates to how we tackle the coronavirus.  We can’t be angry over something we have not control over such anger will serve no purpose. Accept that fallible people are trying to do the best they can in their efforts to address this new and unique situation. Take a breath and cut everybody some slack be in media postings or just in going about day to day living.

Why can’t we just hit the reset button and start again on 1 January 2020? Oh, time has only one direction you say.