Life, for the next while, is changing!

The recent weeks have proven to be a completely new set of circumstances for my household. Starting with retirement on Jan 31st, and all that changes that brought, we spent time in the warmer temps out of country and missing the 2020 version of "snowmageddon," then arrived home just in time for the sweeping closures in response to the Covid19 pandemic, not the least of which was the Ontario government's decision to extend Spring Break by two weeks. I don't mind admitting that all of these combine to shake my resolve ... just a little.

The posts, articles, videos and opinions that are being shared via Social Media are worrisome. With this whole "false news" phenomenon, one has to be very careful of the sources used to keep informed about what Covid19 is, how it is spreading, where the concerning areas are, who is most at risk, and why so many people are panicking. I have no problem with people who have opinions, and I encourage all to speak truthfully, based on their understanding, BUT the sheer volume of fear mongering posts coupled with the reposting of obviously false information is, IMHO, causing people to act in very strange ways.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

Not the least of my perceived strangeness is the panic buying of goods from the wide variety of grocery-type stores that has resulted in a significant shortage of those same goods for people who have not gripped the same sense of dread. I have no problem with people stocking their pantry as a precaution in the very unlikely event that they will be quarantined in their home, BUT when that effects the vulnerable sector of the population, I personally draw the line. We were at the grocery store the other day and I personally witnessed a wide cross section of ages frantically hoarding PB+J, TP, canned goods and literally anything else that would store for a long time. I also witnessed some senior citizens who were going to be forced to go home without some of the things they went to the store for. In the end, I'm left simply shaking my head in a confused bewilderment.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

I have been involved in education for a very long time ... more than half of my life ... and I have never seen a broad local school closure, much less a province-wide decision, and while I am in full agreement with the why, it is the how that gives me pause. As an educator, I have always been preached to about the validity of the school year and the need to ensure ample learning time is available for students, but now 10 school days will be removed from this semester's 90, and so far, with little explanation the effect it will have on the system. It is the unknown that makes it so difficult, and I guess they have the regularly scheduled Spring Break to iron out the details, but given the recent lack of cooperation between the government and the education system, I am left pondering how this will play out. Both sides are going to have their ideas AND both sides are going to have to cooperate.
Question: Will the government propose teachers use e-learning to attempt to keep the proverbial ball rolling during those extra two weeks? Like many, that immediately conjures questions about the nuts and bolts of delivery and access. I have used D2L (an on line class portal) for the past 5 years and I have to say that some students are awesome with it! Alas, some are not awesome with it.
Question: Will the 10 days be pushed into July? That creates a whole new set of issues that the summer temperatures will pose.
To be clear, I applaud the decision in response to a very serious and irregular scenario, but it definitely adds to the uncertainty of the times.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

Until the surge of cancellations, I had never really sat and pondered the place of entertainment in western society. With concerts, sports, conferences and rallies being postponed or outright cancelled, individuals and families will be faced with the task of entertaining themselves, something that many alive right now have never had to do. There have been jokes and memes circulating around Social Media about the void that these cancellations will create, and I have to admit that while meant to be humorous, there's a great deal of truth behind them. Case in point, I coerced Joyce to join me at a variety of sporting events recently, and the Collective We were looking forward to the NCAA's annual March Madness, our tickets purchased last fall for the regionals in Albany, NY. Following the NCAA's decision to cancel the men's and women's tournaments, those plans are scuttled and we will be "doing the dance" with StubHub for a refund of a pretty significant amount of money. Likewise, have many stopped to think about the various professional leagues suspending play for a month? Each franchise has hard costs that will need to be paid ... where will the money come from? Owners, most likely, but from the players, too? How many franchises will be on the brink of bankruptcy? My point here is that entertainment means BIG BUCKS world wide and the impact of those postponements and/or cancellations will have far greater effect that many would have thought when first hearing the announcement. The tentacles of this issue will dig deep into the global economy, and we all need to understand that the likelihood of recessionary-like conditions is high. We cannot lose our minds over this.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

In light of the panic that has already ensued, it will be even more important that we collectively take a deep breath and hold it (a daily Covid19 check anyway), so that we think before we act. Although minor, there has been a rise in prejudice toward China, the supposed source of the virus in the first place. I say supposed because I am not sure there is agreement on that and people are way too busy dealing with the virus to play detective. I have watched a few news reports about the Chinese "Wet Markets" and the business of consuming less common beasts, and the theories sound logical, but who are we to point fingers at other cultures and cast an evil eye? In the end, the "milk has been spilt" and it doesn't matter who "knocked the glass over", we have a pandemic to deal with and the health systems around the world need our support and assistance.

Life, for the next while, is changing!

I was taught that there's always a silver lining ... the glass is half full ... it's better to deal with issues than complain about them. Even though the Covid19 pandemic is a major concern, what it will do is make all cultures around the globe take a hard look at themselves, their daily habits, their systems, their infrastructures, and actively seek to improve. In the end, if we, as a species, make some positive changes, the earth will become a better place to live on. Just like previous global events, our incredible brains will come together to figure this out and how best to deal with the changes it prompts.

Life, for the next while, is changing ... let's make it a good thing!