Each day has begun to blur in mass. Some of us are stuck in our homes by ourselves, with our loved ones or even with roommates. We are the non-essential.
Then there are those that wake up and adorn the tools of their trade. While all of them may have a difference in the tools they carry, two things remain absolute: they prevent a total collapse of the world as we know it, and they are put into harm’s way each day. They are essential.
Many of us in the non-essential category carry a lot of anger toward this pandemic. It has left people jobless, unable to pay bills, unable to find basic necessities, and is slowly breaking down our minds as we feel less in control with each day trapped inside.
I’m reaching out to tell you that as an American, you are strong. You might read that and laugh, but I am serious. Think about this, when the world begins to fall apart, what nation and its people are they looking to for help? That’s right, us. Because in each American lays an indomitable will. The core of which is perseverance.
This is shown to manifest throughout our country. When we are unable to get masks, we find a way to make them. When first responders need the means to sterilize equipment, they innovate. We care so deeply for our community that at the outset of the pandemic we made sure to advocate for our small businesses and their survival.
We have now reached a point where all of us are at risk and our city council has quickly risen to the occasion in instituting a shelter in place order. There are some lamenting this and I truly feel your pain. Most of us non-essential have already been staying at home and not venturing out into the world. Now, this changes things. Our county is one of the hottest counties for the spread of this virus. The danger is not one we can ignore any longer. All it takes is for one infected person to leave behind the virus on a simple doorknob to spread this new silent killer. You can be the most ardent of hand washers, but all it takes is a simple moment of forgetting the use of that doorknob and rubbing your eyes to fall to this silent monster.
This instituted measure will go a long way in stopping us from losing friends, loved ones, and other members of our community. Just staying home is the part to which we need to play to accomplish these goals. In these moments of uncertainty, fear, anger, and sadness, I know one thing for certain: the citizens of Sapulpa can and will be the embodiment of American perseverance. We can and will flatten this curve.
Zach Mortazavi
