Even though the pandemic hasn’t hit Sudbury with any force yet, a malaise has nonetheless settled upon us: we are suddenly socially adrift, increasingly isolated, possessing a heightened awareness of one’s own mortality, coupled with a newfound importance for virus-prevention vigilance.
A wary misanthropy creeps and clouds our perception like a cataract. Money is tight. We’re learning to navigate the obstacles of every-day, all-day co-dependence with our chosen mates. There is suddenly more toilet paper on hand than we truly need.
Where is one to look for guidance in rarified times like these? I suggest there is a segment of our population who experience precisely these challenges on a daily basis: those people in society who have retired. Our aged. Our old. Our elders. It is to these people that we all should turn now when trying to figure out how to navigate the uncertain terrain of today.
The conditions of old age mean one must learn to live with certain constrictions (preferably without complaint) for the things one used to be able to do, one simply can’t do any longer. This is the dilemma of aging, and it is precisely our dilemma now. And so, like the retired, aged individual, we should proceed carefully, deliberately, thoughtfully, cautiously, responsibly, steadfast in face of uncertainty, unlikely to engage in risky behaviour, and be agreeable to rule-following.
These are the attributes that get one through old age, and they are the attributes that will get us through this.
D’Arcy Closs
Greater Sudbury