The Morning Brief – 04.02.20
By Bruce Carson
NATIONAL ISSUES
Anxiety and Concern in the Time of COVID-19
Keeping a Positive Attitude will be Key to Survival at all Levels
The World Health Organization has stated that COVID-19 is a significant trigger for anxiety.
Kathleen Finlay in an article in yesterday’s Ottawa Citizen made the point that no one alive today has experienced anything like the catastrophe where two of our most concrete determinants of survival, our health and financial security, are suddenly under siege.
Our social and economic moorings which we have counted on and in most cases taken for granted that they will always be there, are being washed away. So are our jobs and perhaps with them our savings.
Many Canadians along with others where the pandemic has hit are experiencing emotional harm which may be as contagious as the virus.
We are watching health and economic underpinnings that we have counted on, knocked out from under us.
Confidence in the care and safety in retirement and nursing homes for our elderly population, where safety of the residents has always been a concern has been shattered as this cruel disease means suffering without the proximity of loved ones.
We worry about the care and safety of front line health care workers and first responders as never before.
Those who never thought they would be without a job may very well be part of the record number of Employment Insurance claims.
The lifeblood of the economy for so many, the energy sector, has begun severely hurt due to lack of demand occasioned by COVID-19 and the “crazy” price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
We took for granted access to parks and playgrounds, sports stadiums, rinks, theatres, movies, museums, and now they are closed. The usual distractions at this time of year, hockey and basketball playoffs and the beginning of the baseball season are not even scheduled.
Libraries, a source of comfort reading are closed.
Coffee shops and neighbourhood restaurants, which serve as meeting places and a source of comfort food, coffee, drinks and conversation, are closed.
Embracing each other, the most natural of human reactions and emotions and similar activities have been closed to us as they may cause further spread of the virus.
Into this gloom and doom comes light in the form of a list of what is not closed or cancelled, supplied to me by long-time friend Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes C.M., and now shared with you.
Love has not been cancelled
Mercy has not been cancelled
Prayer has not been cancelled
Attentiveness has not been cancelled
Goodness has not been cancelled
Thanksgiving has not been cancelled
Loving relationships have not been cancelled
Kindness has not been cancelled
Music has not been cancelled
Conversation has not been cancelled
Learning has not been cancelled
Poetry has not been cancelled
Story telling has not been cancelled
Courage has not been cancelled
Leadership has not been cancelled
Meditation and contemplation have not been cancelled
Imagination has not been cancelled
Painting has not been cancelled
Dancing has not been cancelled
Families have not been cancelled
Community has not been cancelled
Solidarity has not been cancelled
Faith has not been cancelled
Hope has not been cancelled
And, God’s presence with us, has not been cancelled.
There are many more emotions and activities that could be added to this list in this strange time of vulnerability.
To Come
Today
- The Prime Minister’s usual media availability at 11am
- International trade numbers for February to be released
April 6
- The portal for applications for financial help through CERB opens
April 8
- Building permit numbers for February to be released
April 9
- Job numbers for March to be released
April 15
- Bank of Canada deals with interest rates and releases its Monetary Policy Update
As usual, The Morning Brief will return on Tuesday, April 7
– BC
