Editorial: The COVID era
Has the pandemic put cynics on the run? Has an outpouring of volunteerism, selflessness, kindness and consideration swept away the concept of always believing the worst in people? Have the sourpusses who sneer at any act that is not in the self-interest of the actor, been wrong all along?
Too early to tell, as someone in the 20th century once said when asked to measure the effect of the French Revolution.
What’s undeniable, is that on Shelter Island, people have come forward to help neighbors, making lighter these forbidding times of sudden unemployment, illness, isolation, frightening financial worries, including feeding a family, and the tensions that build within people cooped up with one another for too long.
A sure-footed response to the crisis from town officials has helped ease the burden everyone is bearing this spring.
Services have been flowing, with the Senior Center ensuring meals go out to our most vulnerable; venison from the Deer Management Program is reserved free of charge for those in need; restaurants and the IGA remain open with employees working through the pandemic; a school system, that acted swiftly and effectively from the beginning, is continuing education and providing meals to students, led by an able and tireless superintendent and staff; and an energized effort from the town’s social worker, who is making herself available for counseling and referring those seeking help to professionals who can assist in finding services.
The cynics may have headed for the hills, but skeptics should be welcome, especially if happy talk from the top replaces honesty. The skeptic will hold fire and weigh a situation, never acting on either naiveté or the certainty that it will all end in tears.
A look at American history over the past several decades can be blinding with glaring examples of misguided and hypocritical leaders, so many it’s hard for a skeptic not to cross the line and become a cynic. But history is in the making now, and this era will be a defining one for everyone living through it.
Too early to tell, maybe, but this is true: The best in the Shelter Island community are bringing light for all of us during this dark time.
