Facing Adversity Together
Our world has changed. Many of the little things we take for granted have been snatched away. Our livelihoods have been compromised. Our standards of living weakened. Our freedoms, impeded.
Clearly these are unprecedented times.
Netflix is booming as are other streaming services like Prime Video and Hulu. Even questionable programming like Tiger King on Netflix, is commanding a ton of undeserved attention. It’s like rubberneck TV. We crave distractions during this time of social distancing. We crave diversions from our crumbling financial situations. Yet we seek the silver lining in our pandemically riddled planet. That’s how we’re wired – as Americans.
What can we learn through all of this adversity?
How can we be better when COVID-19 is firmly in our rearview mirror?
For me, the pandemic has made me appreciate the simple things a bit more, particularly now that we made the epic mistake of starting a kitchen remodel just prior to restaurants closing their doors. Our home is a discombobulated mess. But I digress…
Those who are competitive by nature, probably all of you reading this, see adversity as a challenge. The adrenalin rushes in your veins. You mentally prepare to overcome the obstacles ahead. It’s the way you are wired. And if you were 6’2”, 240 pounds and could run a 4.5-40, Eric DeCosta would be very interested.
But when the Ravens draft collegiate talent, it isn’t just the physical qualities that attract them. They seek players who have faced and overcome adversity in their lives. Why? Because when they reach the NFL, these players will fail. It’s inevitable. And the way they deal with failure will determine their respective futures as professionals.
Perhaps the same can be said of all of us, as together, we battle this invisible demon. For now, it’s fourth-and-long, and we’ve been forced to punt. Yet I know that if we focus on what we have instead of what has been taken away, one day in the not too distant future, we’ll get back – perhaps even stronger than before the virus. We’ll flip the field and, we will win.
We. Will. Win.
That’s what we do.
In closing, I’m reminded of this scene from a movie in the 80’s called Stripes, starring Bill Murray. There’s a scene that is preceded by a group of soldiers preparing to graduate from boot camp, who just can’t get together. The chaos consumes them. Until Murray’s character, Private John Winger, calms the frantic scene (see video below).
We’ve got this. Yes, our worlds have changed.
But together, we can change the world.
We’re Americans.
