Running is Not the Answer

"Danger--if you meet it promptly and without flinching--you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!" -Winston Churchill

I watched a movie the other night on Netflix called, "Carriers" that came out in 2015. It was about a flesh eating bacteria that was contagious. I was so surprised at how similar it was to today’s circumstances during this COVID-19 pandemic. I recognized the N-95 masks they were wearing, and the need for sterilization and distance. In the movie, the actors were looking to go on vacation to escape the disease. They were trying to travel to a beach town that they had gone to in their childhood, hoping to be free of this disease. They had several mishaps and in the end, lost some of their humanity in battling to save their own lives. As much as they were trying to escape, they ended up in a worse situation than if they had just faced it. It made me think of our current circumstances, and how desperately we are looking for answers and an escape from the world we now live in.

I have read all the conspiracy theories and have watched the politicians blame each other:

“He should have known..."

"They should have prepared..."

"They failed to respond..."

Would have, should have, could have...it is all a form of escape, of not wanting to deal and face the problem. Whatever and wherever the truth lies, it is a distraction to finding a solution to this problem. As of now, the only thing we know for sure is that we don’t have an answer and our main job is not getting it or giving it. My family, like in the movie, looked to find an escape from Hell; we went to Santa Barbara for Mother’s Day weekend and rented an Airbnb that was "sterilized." As we drove reminders of the disease were everywhere and each county differed in its strictness.

We enjoyed family time and a new location. We hiked and, wearing our masks, visited the ghost towns of once vibrant tourist destinations. Reality was not ever far from us and we came home not truly rested. We couldn't escape reality. Maybe the answer really lies in history. In reading about the Spanish Influenza of 1918, the United States had social distancing, masks, and closed down all non-essential businesses. The "Spanish Flu" left not because of a vaccine. Those that were infected either died or developed immunity. With countries censored and bad record keeping, the riddle of the Spanish Influenza was never really solved.

As we can see, running and not addressing the problem doesn’t solve anything. I hope we can find out the truth and find an answer to curing COVID-19 or maybe, like in history, COVID-19 will mysteriously disappear just as it mysteriously appeared.