What can COVID-19 teach us?
As the war against COVID-19 rages on, it feels like something new is happening every day. There are a few things that Missourians and those nationwide can take away from the hardships we are currently facing.
Your vote matters
Every election is seen as the one that “counts.” This is true, but during these times of crisis, those at the state and local levels matter just as much, if not more, than the president. Our state and local officials are the ones in the trenches. The President is not in our communities each day and our local officials know these hospitals and the people in our communities. They have the power to take (some) action without the direction of our federal government, a level of government that has historically shunned the cannabis industry. It is important for us to look at the doers, regardless of a political party, and vote for them. Voting for officials that take action and jump all in for their people are the ones we want lighting the way during a time of crisis.
Aim for a higher sense of self-reliance
Many people in Missouri’s cannabis community emphasize relying on yourself to grow your own medicine, and the same principle can be applied elsewhere. The grocery stores presenting bare shelves was not a comfort to anyone. The executive chairman of Burpee Seeds, George Ball, told NPR that during COVID-19 the company has been “flooded with vegetable orders.” Ball has also noticed the spike of seed sales in other times of crisis throughout his life, as the stock market crash of 1987 and the two oil crises during his childhood, but he has never seen anything like the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans (for the most part) don’t know the feeling of wondering if the store will have what they need and to add an additional layer, they may no longer have a source of income. Starting a garden can be a source of comfort for many during these times.
History repeats itself and we should learn from it
In 1918 during the flu pandemic, Kansas City was one of the hardest-hit cities by influenza. St. Louis immediately took action and Susan Sykes Berry, author of “Politics and Pandemic in 1918 Kansas City,” told Fox 2, “In St. Louis, they did institute a pretty effective quarantine, and they think that’s why St. Louis had a much lower death rate than Kansas City did, even though the cities are pretty similar in size or were at the time.” Following recommendations to stay away from large gatherings and out of the public area, for the most part, has been shown to be effective.
As a whole, most people are coming to terms with not taking little things for granted like grocery shopping as a family or leaving their homes with a sense of peace and safety.