Archive: Opinions

Winston Churchill spoke about the "end" of the Battle of Britain in 1940: "It is not the end, nor the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning." In a way, that seems to apply to a view of our international pandemic. We begin to see a brightness on the horizon, though I hesitate to characterize it as a light of the end of the tunnel. That phrase was panned by a pundit in Vietnam-era America, saying the light was actually a freight train.

However, there are signs of an easing of collective angst. Though the results, consequences, and outcomes will remain with us for years to come, maybe a generation. 2020 will become known as the Covid-19 virus year and a generation may see it as we saw the Kennedy assassination or 9/11. I'm not, though, in a position to imagine asking someone, "Where were you when you heard of the pandemic?" The questions and answers will be more elusive, more subtle, than those watermarks of history past.

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"Lockdown is a Stress Test for Relationships" was the headline and surely there were many of us who nodded at that pronouncement. Many therapists are noting stresses that exist normally in couples and families are being exacerbated by the lockdown and forced closeness in isolation. Claustrophobia, boredom, and now apparent incompatibility are rearing ugly heads in marriages and money from helicopters (or Washington, or heaven) won't be the panacea that some envision for relationships bursting internally from acrimony and disenchantment.

The pandemic has magnified the differences already there but not apparent. But, in a wonderful fit of optimism, I can report that it is also a time of joy and adventure, discovery, and deeply felt emotions. Wonderous things also happen during these weeks and I encourage you, dear reader, to "look for the pony" as a slightly ribald joke uses for a punchline. In the midst of tragedy, a ray of sunshine surely bursts through. Close not your heart in cynicism, but open it to new possibilities. I will attest to this truth, as I look around and feel hope in humanity, faith in the future, and love in a very troubling world.

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I don't know if it's limited to Trumansburg, but have you noticed in your neighborhood walks a profusion of stuffed bears and other animals in people's windows? If not, try looking around. It seems there is an effort by many to give you a smile by placing stuffed animals in their windows. Sure worked for me when I noticed it.

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A couple of political notes not concerning internecine quarrels of idiotic politicians of all stripes.

Remember the Greenland flap last year, when the Chest-Thumper in Chief proposed that Denmark sell Greenland to us? Well, buried deep in the bowels of the news is this tidbit: in an effort to enhance energy, education, and tourism, the United States has begun raining dollars on that frozen island to our north.

Yup: twelve million dollars "is part of a U.S. response to the challenging geopolitics of the Arctic", as the State Department tells us. We also have a new consulate (not embassy, that's in Denmark) in Nuuk, the capital. Greenland's prime minister says the moolah is good news, but the opposition party has warned against U.S. expansion of its military presence.

Greenland has fifty-six thousand residents, so you do the math. But interestingly, there is also an independence movement, akin to that of Scotland. Greenland's economy is far from strong enough to consider independence.

Note: we're not in competition for influence on the island with Denmark. Interestingly, it's China that we will, and are, butting heads for influence and hegemony in the North Pole. It's another one of those "too soon to tell" moments. Imagine a reporter being assigned to the Greenland diplomatic office in D.C. Yes, they opened that office in 2014, five years before Trump offered an economic stimulus check, courtesy of the American people's treasury.

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A final focus on minutia of our purchasing habits these weeks of lockdown. By the way, apparently our consumer spending has been dented, but remains relatively strong, perhaps bolstered by online purchases and to-go delivery meals.

The top-five increases in items purchased as measured by year-over-year sales growth:
To balance this, if you wish, beauty and health/personal care items have for the most part taken a dive as we stay at home. Maybe that's a partial explanation for the tension and acrimony being noted in American homes, as mentioned earlier in this column.

Final note? Look for love, it's out there and "in here". Be strong, warrior. Continue to take care of each other.