Outcome unknown.
These two words can bring us to our knees and leave us screaming in agony.
We may consider ourselves resilient in the face of challenges. But such a characteristic is formed under an assumption of normalcy.
When that assumption is removed, we find ourselves in the wind. And that causes us strife.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel. And without such tangible signs of hope, we despair.
As I write this, the world is in the midst of its most severe health crisis in more than a century.
A lethal pathogen has made its way around the globe, causing a Coronavirus pandemic. This coronavirus is highly infectious, and it causes a potentially deadly respiratory disease.
The last time a pandemic of this nature spread worldwide at this scale was 1918. That’s when the Spanish flu infected more than a quarter of the global population. In the United States alone, more than 500,000 people died.
Much has changed since that time. Vaccines are prevalent today. Medicine has advanced. And we now can get critical information quickly over the Internet.
These changes have helped mitigate the damage of plenty of viral threats over the years — including a new outbreak of a similar flu strain in 2009. But they couldn’t completely rid us of them.
The risk of an untamed virus wreaking havoc on society has remained. And that risk has become reality.
With lives at stake and no remedy imminent, many global leaders have turned to the same solutions employed in 1918. Large gatherings —including religious services, concerts and sports events — have been banned. Bars and restaurants have been shuttered. Travel has been curtailed. Hygiene norms have been revisited. And quarantine measures have been employed — both for those ill with the virus and for those at risk of infection.
These measures have led to a moment that feels eerie and dystopian. Across the globe, normally bustling streets and public squares are empty. Financial markets are in freefall. Unemployment is up. And the short-term viability of many industries is uncertain.
This is all distressing. But the ambiguous nature of what comes next has been unbearable.
In the midst of the storm, there have been no clear answers about how long the risk will last. And it’s anyone’s guess when this period of mass isolation will end.
To be sure, society is better-equipped for moments like these than ever before. Thanks to technological innovations, millions of people can work or attend classes from home. Food and supplies can be delivered to our doors. And entertainment options abound on our televisions, computers and smartphones.
But all of that is cold comfort in an environment so ripe with uncertainty.
The existential threat provided by this virus could last for weeks. Or it could last for months.
That’s a long time for anyone to be caught in a lurch, filled with anxiety about what comes next.
There is a great amount of irony in these anxieties.
After all, uncertainty is a common staple of our lives.
We don’t know what each day will bring us, from opportunities to missteps. From the moment our feet hit the floor, we’re essentially flying blind.
Under most circumstances, we accept this ambiguity. We even embrace it — through our compulsion for gambling, our obsession with watching live sports events and our No spoilers warnings for movies we have yet to watch.
Uncertainty is a source of intrigue. It provides spice in our otherwise monotonous lives.
But it only works effectively when it’s contrasted with something we’re sure of. It’s only welcomed within the context of normalcy.
This normalcy could be the rules of a game, an event on a published schedule or other patterns that impact our behavior.
We know that the plane or train should depart at a certain hour. We know that our favorite sports team should only play a specified maximum amount of games in a season. We know that when we place our wagers at the casino, there are small odds that we’ll win big and overwhelming odds that we won’t win at all.
But in moments of crisis, this façade of normalcy can get stripped away. And all that we don’t know is made painfully apparent.
This turns uncertainty from a diversion into the main event. And we’re not equipped to handle such instances well.
Sure, we might appear to adapt to such sea changes after a brief transitionary period. But appearances can be fleeting.
Deep down inside, the continued ambiguity is tearing us apart. Emotionally and psychologically, we’re struggling.
After all, we are social beings by design. Throughout the millennia, connection has helped humanity grow and thrive.
Regardless whether we’re introverted or extroverted, our understanding of the world is defined by the experiences we share with others. When that understanding is turned on its head, we find ourselves in freefall.
We panic. We abandon rationality. And chaos ensues.
We see this every time an external calamity tanks the financial markets. We see it every time a potential disaster causes people to make a run on supplies at the grocery store. And we see it in hundreds of smaller-scale forums at the same time.
The downward spiral accelerates exponentially as uncertainty continues to linger. Society frays. Tensions mount.
Suddenly, that irony doesn’t seem so amusing.
Day by day. Moment by moment.
Those are truly the only ways to look at life.
For uncertainty rules the roost. There is only so much we can do to mitigate its effects. And all that mitigation stands up like a house of cards in a hurricane.
This blunt assessment might not be reassuring. But it’s needed.
For the more we grasp the illusions of normalcy, the more we set ourselves up to fall.
We must embrace life’s ambiguities. We must accept a reality that is full of unanswered questions.
And we must do all this, even as we strive to find solutions for life’s myriad mysteries.
Not much is granted in this world — including our continued existence.
We had better understand that, and adjust accordingly.
There is no other way.