The challenges facing Americans are revealing our individual and national character.
"Pardon, America, your character is showing.
Among the people pointing this out is New York writer Jon
Katz, who has observed that the demands of social distancing are coming
up against radical individualism and selfishness born of a society in
which we “count our money, pay our bills, shrink into the digital world
and forget how to talk to people face to face.”
“The coronavirus is a moral threat, and an ethical
challenge, in that it asks each of us to be mindful of ourselves and
others and to police ourselves for the good of all,” Katz recently wrote on his blog...
Our first order of ethical behavior right now social
distancing, Faden said. Second is taking care of others, particularly
those most at risk and those who live alone. Third, she said, is giving
blood, if we are able. And fourth is being solicitous and appreciative
of everyone we encounter, from health care workers to cashiers to people
coming to collect our trash.
“Be especially appreciative, demonstrably so, to anyone
in your life you encounter who is taking on risks to protect you,” she
said."
