Do you use history as a guide? In 1918, a flu pandemic raged. There was no vaccine and the best defenses—washing hands, wearing masks, limiting gatherings, and quarantining when exposed—were not consistently practiced or enforced. Some people became weary or angry about wearing masks. According to the Centers For Disease Control, “more people died during the 1918 pandemic than the total number of military and civilian deaths that resulted from World War I.”
In the first half of the twentieth century, another terrible disease swept through our country. It struck without warning, affecting people of all ages, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds including a future president of the United States. A quarter of those who got this disease recovered quickly and another 70% showed no symptoms at all. Paralysis and death stalked the other patients. In this case, people joined together to raise money for research and finding a cure. Creating a vaccine and eradicating polio united our country.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, more Americans have now died from COVID-19 than were killed in WW II. As you well known, 2021 began with a less-than-well-organized vaccination campaign against COVID-19 among essential workers and those in long-term care facilities. The hope of having everyone in the United States vaccinated by early spring 2021 has become less imaginable. But if we are among the fortunate ones, life goes on and healing is on the horizon for our country. As Joseph Campbell wrote “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have a life that is waiting for us.”
This pandemic and the January assault on the Capitol can leave us shaken or feeling paralyzed. Again, we need to look to history. We have been tested before. We need to believe we can succeed. We need to unite. We as a people, as a nation, and as a democracy can grow through this.
In any time of uncertainty and as you approach retirement, use history as a guide but be willing to change. (Read “Repeating History Or Moving Forward Through A Transition” to see important distinctions.) Remember how you have used your strengths and resiliency to weather previous storms. Don’t let weariness or anger control your actions. Hold on to hope and remain flexible and willing to adjust to the unexpected.