It is not easy to find a silver lining to the massive dark cloud that is the COVID-19 virus. However, I am going to give it a try.
I have interviewed dozens of people on and off the air since the historic pandemic hit — elected officials, medical experts, leaders of institutions, front line health workers, business men and women.
No one that I can recall has simply thrown up their hands and said, in effect, “There’s nothing we can do,” or “It’s hopeless and I quit.” Instead, they have all talked about what they are doing, how they are adjusting,
Education pivots to online learning. Restaurants shift to carry-out. Hospitals prepare for a surge of infected patients and set up testing. The National Guard assigns citizen soldiers to where they are most needed.
Government leaders shut down the state but then plan for an orderly reopening. Churches have services on the Internet. Some businesses shift to making personal protective equipment.
And on it goes, in a thousand different ways.
We are creatures of routine, but human beings also have a remarkable ability to adjust, even though change is difficult for some of us.
Dr. Barton Goldsmith, writing in Psychology Today about emotional fitness, said, “If you are someone who hates change, then you are going to have to at least tolerate it when it happens. There is no law saying that you have to like what’s going on, but you do have to find a way to cope, because change happens, like it or not.”
We use trial and error. We see what others are doing that works and what does not work. We remind ourselves that even though this situation is different, we have made tough decisions before when we had to.
Entrepreneurs are especially good at this. Gallup studied 1,000 successful entrepreneurs to find their shared qualities. They were able to focus on the task at hand. They had confidence and were creative thinkers. They were determined, and they constantly sought information that would make their businesses better.
These qualities serve them well during the normal day to day, but they are especially valuable during times of crisis. This is one of the reasons we need to reopen. Business men and women are a creative life force who provide energy, innovation and wealth creation.
I think that spirit also carries through to most of us during a crisis. We may not be willing or able to start a business, but we can be creative thinkers when confronted with a problem. That’s why I’m not too worried about following Gov. Justice’s guidelines for reopening. Most of us will make smart decisions.
Who knows how long the cloud of this pandemic will hang above us, and what additional challenges may come, but we should have confidence in our ability to figure out what to do.
Hoppy Kercheval is a MetroNews anchor and the longtime host of “Talkline.” Contact him at hoppy.kercheval@wvradio.com.
