Member Column

by Jim Greer

LW contributor

The relief we’ve been praying for has arrived. God is answering our prayers. We prayed the pandemic would start to dissipate, and it has. We prayed that people would stop suffering, and now fewer are. We prayed a vaccine would be developed, and now we have several.

So why are we still fearful?

For many, this pandemic has been a traumatic experience. The effects of trauma are evident all around us, with many showing levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Usually, only the most harshly traumatized individuals have PTSD. But the perfect storm of a worldwide pandemic, reduced confidence in authority, the loss of a sense of belonging, and declines in community solidarity have left many of us traumatized. With the state lifting restrictions, we clearly see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel. But, despite the good news, our pentup fears are not easily forgotten.

InhisMay28,NewYorkTimes column, “The Great Unmasking,” David Brooks declared, “For millions of Americans, the next six months are going to be great. The power COVID had over our lives is shrinking, and the power we have over our own lives is growing.”

Still, there is a connection we have developed with our masks that many are hesitant to acknowledge. That connection may be more psychological. Brooks explains, “Productivity is a mask. I’m too busy to see you. Essentialism is a mask. I can make all sorts of assumptions about you based on what racial or ethnic group you are in. Self-doubt is a mask. I don’t show you myself because I’m afraid you won’t like me. Distrust is a mask. I wall myself in because I’m suspicious you’ll hurt me.”

Brooks went on to explain that those of us blessed to have received vaccines can now move from “absence to presence, from restraint to release, from distance to communion.” Whether we do it in small groups or with a loved one, we now have permission to share time and space with others and have fun again, without masks!

Leisure World is a warm and supportive community beset over the past months by an external threat. Unknowingly, we internalized that external threat and began mistrusting and fearing one another. Now is the time to reject those fears, and trust one another. It’s okay to take off your mask and smile at your neighbors, embrace one another, and enjoy our community connection.

Coretta Scott King wisely stated, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Now is the time to take compassionate action and replace our face coverings with openness, replace social distancing with social closeness.

Our compassionate actions can start with something as simple as a smile. Dick Van Dyke challenged each of us to “Put On a Happy Face” when “Bye Bye Birdie” opened on Broadway on April 14, 1960. In perhaps the most popular song of the play, Van Dyke challenged all of us to “Take off the gloomy mask of tragedy. It’s not your style. You’ll look so good that you’ll be glad you decided to smile.”