Covid-19 has resulted in the passing of more Americans than WWI and the Vietnam War combined. Where is our patriotism? Where is our American grit? Our leaders are not enlisting the populace into a draft. We are not being asked to send our loved ones to war. Rather, our leaders are asking us to sacrifice our convenience. We are being asked to win this battle by applying a mask on our faces and canceling plans with Grandma. While disappointing to not hold loved ones this winter, the sacrifice we make will lead to more of our citizenry being alive on Thanksgiving 2021.
Look to the example set by those we venerated on Veterans Day. Consider the holiday seasons missed by those who stormed beaches. What was their sacrifice to keep Americans safe? Gov. Jay Inslee is not asking us to storm a beach. We are being asked to rise up, and then sit down to watch Netflix. To have our groceries selected on an app, instead of occupying a closed area. To cook our own food and pour our own beverages.
Certainly, this holiday season will prove different. Community members will feel isolated. Many will experience financial hardship. Let us become the helpers that Mister Rogers frequently referenced. Let us look to the grit and sacrifice exemplified by those who sacrificed before us. Let us channel the zeitgeist of the American experience and use the tools at our disposal to defeat this virus. Call your Grandma this holiday season, so that your neighbor may hold hers in 2021.
Nick Anderson
Arlington
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
