COVID Revelations

By Myra Jolivet

“Are there no prisons are there no workhouses let them die and decrease the surplus population?” ~Ebenezer Scrooge

It is a time of intense cruelty. It is a time of intense generosity. It is a time that reveals who we truly are.

Nearly every year of my life since I was a child, I’ve watched, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. I cry for Tiny Tim despite knowing how it will end. I believe that as children, most of us have an enduring empathy, which is why children can show compassion for fictional characters, puppies, turtles, and other beings.

Dickens Knew the Worst of Times and the Worst of Us….

As an adult, I learned a bit more about Dickens and the reason so many of his novels addressed social attitudes towards poverty, poor working conditions, and the deplorable treatment of orphans. As a child, he did manual factory work after his father was sent to debtor’s prison. He overcame his misfortune to become one of Britain’s most prolific writers. His stories ring familiar today.

As we brace ourselves for further impacts of COVID-19, housing forecasters tell us there will be foreclosures and evictions come spring of 2021, and that for reasons beyond their control families will be made homeless. Foreclosure and eviction moratoriums will end and it will be time to ask; What could happen when states finally lift their lockdowns?

Habitat for Humanity predicts a troubling picture. An article penned for their website presents, 7 Findings on COVID-19’s Impact on Housing. It states, “For decades, stagnant wages combined with insufficient supply to meet demand have pushed the cost of home out of reach for millions of families. Now, with hours, wages and jobs cut as a result of the coronavirus, even more individuals are facing housing instability at a time when one’s ability to be safely and affordably housed is integral to the health and safety of us all.” https://www.habitat.org/stories/7-findings-covid-19s-impact-housing

Estimates are that in the U.S. there are between eight to 15 million independent and small landlords. Many of them are also experiencing the squeeze from the pandemic. They need collected rents to make payments on their properties.

It Truly is One World, Like it or Not

Unfortunately, it took an infectious disease to remind the world that physical and economic health are intrinsically linked. And that despite our socio-economic distancing, our lives are also connected. I believe this COVID revelation speaks to me the most. It shouts to humanity that no matter how great your life is, when others suffer the impact will creep or ram its way into your existence. We share this planet. The strains of the Coronavirus know that even if we don’t.

I have no idea how major lenders and creditors will respond to the effects of the pandemic. And none of us knows exactly what spring of 2021 will look like for millions of Americans. But we can see that in a time when some of our fellow planet dwellers are exhibiting both extreme generosity and extreme cruelty, not much has changed since Dickens’ observations of human behavior in the 1800s. While we may not have debtors’ prisons, there is frequently a lack of forgiveness for dire circumstances. There are ridiculous rates/costs that create a maze of school loan traps and hinder the ability of young professionals to build a foundation of wealth. And in my opinion, the most egregious is the commoditization of healthcare; we can almost predict who will live or die, thrive or suffer from a correctable disability, according to their race or socioeconomic status.

If this time in our history plays out like a Dickens novel the villains will either become enlightened or reap as they have sown. I prefer a new ending where villains are outnumbered, overtaken by compassionate planet dwellers, and millions more don’t have to die in the process.