In several of his novels, Walker Percy mentions the unhealthy appeal of disasters, as lifting one out of the everyday. In a couple at least of the novels--The Last Gentleman, Lancelot--the disasters are hurricanes. Percy spent most of his life in Louisiana, where hurricanes regularly arrive. I grew up in Ohio and Colorado, where they never do. In the Midwest and Mountain West, blizzards break into the everyday, but are allowed for--generally they slow, but do not much disrupt one's routines.
In the Potomac valley, where I have lived many years, snows do disrupt one's routines. Schools and offices close. On first arriving, I found this amusing, then enchanting--a week to do nothing, because of snow that would hardly be noticed three hours drive north! Eventually, I noticed that the charms of a city-wide shutdown were more than balanced by the inconveniences that followed, as the snow sat or slowly melted.
The pandemic has disrupted life in this region. Schools, restaurants, churches, and many offices are closed. I have been working from home for three days now, and will be somewhat surprised if I'm back in the office on March 30. At 25 or 30, I might have found this novel and amusing. Now, I'd just as soon be back in the office with people about, even though working at home has been reasonably productive.
You proposed “narischtive” in an earlier post - I now propose a portmanteau word combining your coining with a word for something disruptive & slightly hysterical . (Am I mad, or is this pandemic being handled hysterically? Almost the only people at risk from this new virus are those over 60 - why must everyone in every area of society suspend their lives? Why not simply make all of us who are over 60 withdraw from society until the virus passes or a solution is found? I take it that all the measures being taken are because there is a fear of too many very ill & elderly people overwhelming the hospital system - I would be much happier to be exiled in our apartment if I could hear in the street below the sounds of others going about their business & having fun)
ReplyDeleteYou are not the only one to think the reaction overblown. However, though vulnerability does increase with age, the middle aged and young can be brought down by it also. The precautions are taken to prevent the hospitals from being overwhelmed, and not only by the elderly.
DeleteI have the good fortune to make my living working with computers, which within limits behave the same way at a distance of three miles as at a distance of three meters. And we live in a neighborhood where nearly all the houses are free-standing. It is definitely a benefit to look up from my work and see families walking by.