Rob Meyne
- Sept. 22, 2020
- 3 min read
It’s human nature to think that whatever we are going through right now is the worst, most extreme, most memorable event of its kind. Ever. Sometimes it is true. Our tendency to exaggerate notwithstanding, I am confident that future historians will look at the COVID pandemic as one of the seminal issues of our lifetimes. It is at least as important as 911 and Viet Nam.
In 2020 we set a new standard for how we would react to a serious health crisis. We made a collective decision – or more accurately a few dozen governors, scientists, and regulators made it for us – that it is worth trashing our entire economy, driving millions of businesses into bankruptcy, and putting non-COVID health matters at the back of the line in order to potentially save some lives. Previously, it had not occurred to us that we should just shut things down. The downside was too great. Now it is precedent.
Continue reading