The most sacred of times
Chronicles of life during the plague
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love–
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
- “Pandemic”, Lynn Ungar, 3/11/20
This is what my neighborhood looked like this morning. Desolate; shuttered; a pale imitation of the workday bustle you normally. Then again, we are so very far away from normal today. I started working from home last week, and it feels so long ago — a time dimly remembered, if at all.
I was outside only because I was making an unexpected trip to my office, thanks to the unexpected arrival of work computers. Truly: I was terrified to leave my house. I walked briskly, making a wide loop whenever I saw someone, eager to keep my physical distance.
I boarded the subway at my usual station; it was deserted, as well, with only two other people in my car. One of them coughed into his hand a few stops into the ride; I shuddered. Once at my destination, I hurried off. Midtown was equally devoid of people. I arrived at my office, locked away the new equipment, and left, pausing only to don surgical gloves.
A friend of mine took this video of Times Square. It is eerie; to me it’s chilling.
The worst part, as I told a friend last night, is the twinned feelings of doom and despair. I feel like I’m awaiting a hurricane, with nowhere to go. And there really is nowhere to go: the State Department issued a Level 4 advisory - Do Not Travel - for the entire world.
There’s no going back to normal after this. I hope only to make it through, and that those that I love make it through with me.
This is a superb presentation by Stanford professor of neurobiology and bioengineering Michael Lin on what we know about COVID-19 so far, and how we can deal with it. I highly recommend reading all 31 slides of this presentation, especially if you’re wondering just how bad the disease is. For me, the best way to deal with fear - the mind-killer - is information.
Kurzgesagt released their video on COVID-19, and it’s simply excellent. You should especially pay attention to the first part, where they explain exactly what the SARS-CoV2 virus does to the human body. Kurzgesagt always provides a list of scientific sources used to produce their videos; the one for this video is particularly extensive and they are going to keep it updated.
If you’re looking to distract yourself from the near-apocalyptic news (both pandemic and economic), Google Arts & Culture offers virtual tours of the highlights from a ton of different world-class museums. Among them: MoMA, Tate, the Pergamonmuseum, and so many others.
You might be feeling stir-crazy after being inside. I know I feel that way; I’m incredibly fortunate to have a backyard I can go to, but many of us don’t. In any event, we’re social creatures, and social distancing wreaks havoc with our mental well-being. You should check out this curated list of virtual events by Ikaria. There’s all kinds of events, from meditation to virtual lunch.
Speaking of which: if you’re hosting one of these community events, and you’re using Zoom, check this thread out for ways you can lock down your community call in order to prevent trolling attacks.
What we lose when a beloved restaurant closes forever — Adam Platt on Gotham Bar & Grill’s closing. This is why we need to bailout the restaurant industry, at least to me.
Listen Together — communal music listening, like Turntable.fm rebooted for Spotify
together. — John Green on how we'll get through this, with some useful links in the description.
Melbourne Zoo is live streaming four exhibits, so you can enjoy #AnimalsAtHome.
OK — I love all of you. I miss seeing people, I miss just being in the world. But I know, somehow, that love and compassion will see us through. Let’s try to rest, let’s try to connect with each other - if only virtually - and let’s take this one day at a time. And hopefully, we will make it to a better world. I’m here for you.