What If This IS a Test?
Many of us are now a full month into social distancing, and things are starting to get nasty on social media.
As a financial professional, I've seen firsthand the fear of small business owners whose businesses have been deemed non-essential and ordered to temporarily close. I've helped some make the heartbreaking decision to furlough loyal, long-time employees in order to help ensure the survival of the company so those employees have a job to return to when this crisis has passed. And the business owners I work with are better off than most - most of them had a cash reserve going into this "intentional recession" - but even the ones with robust savings will feel the strain if their businesses remain closed for more than another month.
The "help" promised by the government in the form of the PPPL and EIDL has fallen short. I'm concerned many small businesses that survive the initial crisis will ultimately close when they are unable to make their loan payments on the other side of this crisis. Not all of these loans - not even the forgivable ones - will be forgiven, and things won't go "back to normal" as soon as we turn the economy back on.
Many who don't own small businesses have been adversely affected, too. Millions are out of work, and it might be months before they can return to their jobs...if the businesses they work for even reopen. A $1,200 stimulus check is nice, but it's not going to pay many of the bills.
And - the icing on the cake - is it's spring, the weather is beautiful, there's no baseball, and many parks are closed because citizens weren't observing the 6' social distancing rule while they were still open.
I understand the frustration many feel with the government's seemingly draconian measures in regards to forced business closures and social distancing measures. And I suppose it's only natural that the most frustrated among us are starting to question if this is all a test.
What if the government is using COVID-19 as a test to see how complacent we are?
What if the government is intentionally brainwashing a certain segment of the population to make them a willing army against true, freedom-loving Americans?
What if the government decides a stay-at-home order will help slow climate change? Will this pattern repeat?
What if...what if...what if...?
Nevermind these government mandates to "slow the spread" would never have been necessary if citizens had adopted social distancing guidelines when they were still suggestions. Nevermind many of those who are complaining about these mandates are the same people who willfully disregarded those guidelines "because we are Americans and can do whatever we want" or "because it's all media hype to discredit the president." No, this is all obviously a test the government is running in order to ultimately strip away every freedom we have.
Truth be told, I think maybe the restrictions we're facing could be a test...but not a test our freedoms.
What if it's a test to see if humans really do value life over money?
What if it's a test to see if humans can still think around corners and innovate to save their businesses and their livelihoods?
What if it's a test to see if we can be content with our families - ONLY our families - or if we can only stand each other when we're so busy with activities and distractions we barely have time to say good morning and good night?
What if it's a test to see if humanity is worth saving at all?
So, if this IS a test, who's running it? The US government? China? Your deity of choice?
Nope.
If this IS a test, we're the ones running it. You. Me. Every single person on this planet. And judging from what I'm seeing on social media and in the news, the solid B we had last week is rapidly nosediving toward an F.
Mayor G.T. Bynum of Tulsa said in a news conference last week that we are in the midst of the largest humanitarian effort we have ever seen. A worldwide decision to temporarily suspend our economies and many of our pleasures to protect the most vulnerable among us. It was one of the most uplifting speeches I've ever heard.
But this week, it seems that humanitarianism has reached its expiration date.
If this IS a test, we can still pass. We can be patient a bit longer and possibly save tens of thousands of lives.
Or we can push to reopen the country too soon and possibly undo all the sacrifices of the past few weeks, simply because we're scared and tired of giving up the things we want to do.
The choice is ours, and you and I can disagree on what the correct answer is and still be civil to each other. But, pass or fail, I will proudly submit my answers to the test knowing I have completed it to the best of my ability.
As a financial professional, I've seen firsthand the fear of small business owners whose businesses have been deemed non-essential and ordered to temporarily close. I've helped some make the heartbreaking decision to furlough loyal, long-time employees in order to help ensure the survival of the company so those employees have a job to return to when this crisis has passed. And the business owners I work with are better off than most - most of them had a cash reserve going into this "intentional recession" - but even the ones with robust savings will feel the strain if their businesses remain closed for more than another month.
The "help" promised by the government in the form of the PPPL and EIDL has fallen short. I'm concerned many small businesses that survive the initial crisis will ultimately close when they are unable to make their loan payments on the other side of this crisis. Not all of these loans - not even the forgivable ones - will be forgiven, and things won't go "back to normal" as soon as we turn the economy back on.
Many who don't own small businesses have been adversely affected, too. Millions are out of work, and it might be months before they can return to their jobs...if the businesses they work for even reopen. A $1,200 stimulus check is nice, but it's not going to pay many of the bills.
And - the icing on the cake - is it's spring, the weather is beautiful, there's no baseball, and many parks are closed because citizens weren't observing the 6' social distancing rule while they were still open.
I understand the frustration many feel with the government's seemingly draconian measures in regards to forced business closures and social distancing measures. And I suppose it's only natural that the most frustrated among us are starting to question if this is all a test.
What if the government is using COVID-19 as a test to see how complacent we are?
What if the government is intentionally brainwashing a certain segment of the population to make them a willing army against true, freedom-loving Americans?
What if the government decides a stay-at-home order will help slow climate change? Will this pattern repeat?
What if...what if...what if...?
Nevermind these government mandates to "slow the spread" would never have been necessary if citizens had adopted social distancing guidelines when they were still suggestions. Nevermind many of those who are complaining about these mandates are the same people who willfully disregarded those guidelines "because we are Americans and can do whatever we want" or "because it's all media hype to discredit the president." No, this is all obviously a test the government is running in order to ultimately strip away every freedom we have.
Truth be told, I think maybe the restrictions we're facing could be a test...but not a test our freedoms.
What if it's a test to see if humans really do value life over money?
What if it's a test to see if humans can still think around corners and innovate to save their businesses and their livelihoods?
What if it's a test to see if we can be content with our families - ONLY our families - or if we can only stand each other when we're so busy with activities and distractions we barely have time to say good morning and good night?
What if it's a test to see if humanity is worth saving at all?
So, if this IS a test, who's running it? The US government? China? Your deity of choice?
Nope.
If this IS a test, we're the ones running it. You. Me. Every single person on this planet. And judging from what I'm seeing on social media and in the news, the solid B we had last week is rapidly nosediving toward an F.
Mayor G.T. Bynum of Tulsa said in a news conference last week that we are in the midst of the largest humanitarian effort we have ever seen. A worldwide decision to temporarily suspend our economies and many of our pleasures to protect the most vulnerable among us. It was one of the most uplifting speeches I've ever heard.
But this week, it seems that humanitarianism has reached its expiration date.
If this IS a test, we can still pass. We can be patient a bit longer and possibly save tens of thousands of lives.
Or we can push to reopen the country too soon and possibly undo all the sacrifices of the past few weeks, simply because we're scared and tired of giving up the things we want to do.
The choice is ours, and you and I can disagree on what the correct answer is and still be civil to each other. But, pass or fail, I will proudly submit my answers to the test knowing I have completed it to the best of my ability.
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