The Pandemic that Revealed Who is Who
The pandemic has shown us a lot of things, some good, some bad, and some indifferent. This has been a challenging time for everyone and it has been a moment where we have all come to a place where we question things and just what it is all about.
I know that personally it has challenged me to look within and look for the big answers to life’s questions and to discover who I am, what I value, and who I am and I am sure others feel the same. The question I ask myself the most however is who are we becoming as a country through all of this and what is next for our nation?
Some of these questions have been answered by our leaders and by our fellow citizens as the crisis has gone on.
Who are we? I mean, who are we really and what do we value? I am seeing these questions being answered day by day as Americans are dying from this virus and people are suffering in many ways from the COVID-19 pandemic that has stormed through our nation like a tornado and I must be honest, some of the answers I am seeing are not hopeful ones.
Who is who?
Let us start off with our leadership at various levels. First, let us look at our federal leadership.
Donald Trump
The big one. Donald Trump always reveals who he is during a crisis or a moment when he should lead and this situation is no different and even takes the cake for him. He always has shown us who he is and that does not change much from moment to moment. He always is the same Trump that he has always been and that is, the same selfish, arrogant, lying person that he has always been.
At a moment when he could have changed the course of his presidency and his image and ultimately, his legacy, he chose to be the same Trump he has been throughout his presidency and his life and make it all about him and his needs, not the needs of the country. This is who he is, he should be out there leading by example and yet has done nothing but show how much of a leader he is not.
We are in the middle of a pandemic and all he can do is come up conspiracy theories about news personalities like he is doing with Joe Scarborough and the murder he is accusing him of as well as his other deflections and barrage of lies he puts out there on a daily basis. He should be leading but instead he is reminding us just who he is and who he will always be.
Nancy Pelosi
The Speaker of the House leads. She shows compassion for the people who have lost their lives and who are sick from this virus. She does not let her personal views impact her judgement and she does not come up with lies and conspiracy theories like the president does. She speaks the truth and shows us who she is and it is a leader and a patriot.
Nancy shows the American people what real leadership looks like during a crisis. She wants people to get the help they need during a crisis that has seen millions of Americans struggle to pay their bills and as such she has pushed for a second stimulus and further help for the American people and has done so against Republican pushback.
Nancy is one who stands up for the people of this country and this is who she always has been. During this crisis, she shows who she is even more and who we all should be. She is attacked by so many on the right but does not let that get in the way of what she must do. Nancy knows how to get the job done and even in a global pandemic that has flipped this country upside down does she let it frazzle her, instead she does what must be done.
Other Republicans
The Republicans in the Senate as well as Republican governors have shown who they are too and it is not anything to be proud of. The Republicans in Washington continue to defend Trump despite the way that he behaves and the deplorable things that he says and does and they fail to lead on any level and at any time.
Republican governors are no better. They for the most part have reopened their states too soon and have not put the health of the American people first, but that is nothing new. These governors also are the ones who will not pass common sense gun reform after there is a mass shooting, they are the ones who refuse to give their citizens access to affordable healthcare, and overall have shown to not care about what is best for their people.
Kayleigh McEnany
The White House Press Secretary and the former CNN commentator should be the very person who is being honest and transparent with the American people about the public health crisis that we find ourselves in and she has been anything but. She has lied on national television to the people of this country about the federal response to this crisis and about everything else as well.
Her job is to tell the American people the truth, she works for us, yet she does not tell us the truth. She lies just like all of Trump’s press secretaries have lied over the last four years and especially during a pandemic, her lying is for sure shameful and damaging to our nation. We are at a time when we need the truth and leadership and we are getting neither from her and this current administration.
Lying is who she is.
Democratic Governors
One of the few bright spots for our country during this COVID-19 crisis that is going on. Governors like Newsom, Cuomo, Whitmer, and others have shown true leadership and true compassion for the sick and deceased. They have shown us just who they are and we could not be prouder of them and how they have responded to this moment.
They have put the health of their people above their own political agendas and they have shown what it is like to lead and to put the people first, they do it daily and have since the crisis began. These governors are one of the very few positives in this and they reveal who they are to us, but they have shown us before during challenging times just what leadership is supposed to be and how you govern.
Listen to these fearless leaders speak and then listen to Trump and you will see what true leadership looks like. They listen to the experts and believe in the data and the science and never let their own personal views get in the way of what needs to be done for the people of their states and communities and that my friends is what real leadership is all about.
People Who Don’t/Won’t Wear Masks
Talk about showing us who they are. Those who do not follow the rules for sure show us who they are. Their refusal to wear a face covering shows us clearly who they are and what they value, or rather shall I say, what they do not value.
They also are the same people who flock to crowded beaches and malls when they are told to stay home and think of others and they also do not follow other rules like social distancing and so on. They show us WHO they are and who they are NOT by their defiance to the public health suggestions and the rules our communities put into place.
They are selfish and quite frankly, stupid. They only think of what they feel and what they want and have no regard for human life and do not appear to care how their actions impact others. Stores tell people that they must wear a mask to enter and these people who do not wear masks ignore those rules and thus, put people in danger.
People Who Do Wear Masks
This one is quite simple. These folks do care for others and do believe in doing what is best for their communities, families, and for their country and they have shown us for sure who they are and we like what we see. It is such a simple act (to wear a mask) and sends such a powerful message, a message of love, compassion, and common sense.
We thank those who wear masks when they venture out. They not only are doing their part to reduce the spread of the virus, but they are sending the positive message that this is what we should do to keep people healthy and end this pandemic.
This is WHO these people are and it speaks VOLUMES.
Community Givers
Those who are putting their own needs last and are helping out their fellow Americans, even when it puts their own well-being at risk. These are our food bank workers, our essential workers stocking the shelves, manning the clinics and emergency rooms, and other essential jobs. These are the heroes of this country during this pandemic and these people should be praised and called the heroes that they are.
They put their own needs last. They show us who they are by their actions and by their compassion which speak so much louder than words ever could and that help the country and our people through the worst pandemic our nation has seen in over 100 years. These folks are the ones keeping us going and in reality, keeping us all alive and they should be thanked for being brave and being the WHO of America that we need.
Just, who are we?
America has shown us who they are. Some good, some bad. The people who are being part of the solution have shown us and revealed to the world who they are and what they are willing to do to get us all through this situation that is so hard for all us.
They have been part of the solution, the common solution to fight this virus, be there for one another, and to overcome such an immensely difficult time for our country and for our world. The people who are part of the solution know who they are and they know what they have done and it is something we will never forget.
The ones who are selfish and who only care about themselves have also shown who they are and what is important to them and it is obvious, they are what is important to them. They only care about themselves and doing and getting what matters to them and do not care about others and this has been obvious over these months.
They are the ones who do not lead, who do not wear masks, who do not put others first and it is not a good look.
They have shown who they are, They always do.
In closing
America will survive this. It is hard and not made easier by those who are the problem and not the solution, but we will overcome this crisis, we have in the past overcome challenges and we will again. We will come out of this stronger and better than before and the reason why we will prevail is simple, it is how we overcame tough times before.
9/11
Hurricanes
Recessions and Depressions
Mass Shootings
Even Past Pandemics ..
We overcame all of that because we as a country when it was the hardest and when it was all on the line showed the world WHO WE ARE and WHAT WE CAN DO.
The selfish people who flock to beaches and do not wear masks and social distance are not who we are.
Donald Trump is not who we are.
Those who ignore the threat we face are not who we are.
LOVE and COMPASSION and COMMON SENSE is WHO we ARE and it is who we will be once again. We will overcome. We will prevail. We will all get through this and we will come out better than before and that is because we know who we are America and we know that together we can get through anything and this is …
WHO WE ARE!
