Thanks for your thoughts, Sallie. You were right about the pandemic before it started, so your advice is valuable to me. I hope this doesn't last too much longer, but as you said, it's so complex, I can't fathom how it all works together and the unintended consequences of changes in one area affecting other areas. 

When this all began, I was agreeable to the stay at home requests and could see how things could quickly go bad through the example of Italy and their health system. Now that we are progressing, I am starting to feel that we need to start mitigating the hit to the economy and begin targeted opening back up of areas less hard hit by the virus. Living in a small town, we are no where near the numbers showing up in Indianapolis or other big cities and I don't think we need the types of restrictions that would be more helpful there. 

Most alarming to me lately is the overreach of government and police that is occurring in so many different areas. People seem eager to give up their rights because of fear. Once those rights have been taken away, it is nearly impossible to get them back again. With freedom comes personal responsibility. If someone wants to exercise their freedom, then they are taking responsibility for the risks to their health. We do not want a government who tells us which risks are acceptable and which are not.

It is funny that you mention college football. My husband works at a Big 10 University and I was eavesdropping on his dean's meeting this morning and they mentioned that they would be able to tell what the fall semester would look like after the date when the football team was supposed to start practice. You are not alone in seeing that as a good indicator.

Personally, our family is doing OK with the lockdown. My husband and daughter are both introverts and they are hoping this continues forever. ???? I am an extrovert with introvert tendencies. I like being home with my family, but I miss my parents and being able to help them more, spending in person time with my few close friends, and going to church.

Chalk it up to my lack of imagination, but I just can't fathom how things will look in a few months. It seems like the forecasters are either saying it will never go back to the way it was, or they are saying we just need to reopen and it will be like nothing ever changed. After 9/11 things were different (softer? kinder?) for a while, but then people just fell back into their routines and business as usual. I guess I am not creative enough to see another version of our economy. One more reason I like to read what others have to say, like you and the commentators you have introduced me to.

In any case, thanks again for sharing your thoughts! 🙂

Hi Amanda,

Well, that is really interesting what the dean said. Thank you for sharing that.

I think seeing the advancing virus was "easy" if people were paying attention and looking for information themselves. Most people weren't, but it wasn't shocking to see how things developed in our country if people were paying attention to what was happening overseas.

Trying to figure out what comes next with where we are now is so much more difficult. Now it involves the entire economy, different states doing different things based on their situations, governmental overreach in some states and cities, etc.

Throw in an election year and yowza. It's crazy.

I'm REALLY curious to see how all of this plays out in K-12 education. I forgot to mention this in the video, but I'm interested how many people will opt to homeschool rather than having their kids in and out of school. If this virus continues in waves, then schools will open and close - if they open at all. Some families will decide to just go on their own rather than deal with the constant upheaval. It will be interesting to see how many do.

If the colleges and universities can't open this fall on campus, higher education is going to be forever changed. It's already changing with more people opting out due to the costs. But how many students are going to pay tens of thousands a year to sit on their bed at their parents' home to do their college education this fall?

Anyone who thinks they can tell what is going to happen in the next five to six months is nuts. No one knows.

Sallie

Posted by: @sallie

A new video with some of my observations about where we are and, more importantly, what comes next. Unscripted and unedited - just me sharing my thoughts.

Mentioned in the video:

The blogging course I'm taking: Income School Project 24

Post with updates about what we're changing in our home: Cozy Homemaking Weekly Goals #24

Thanks for your thoughts, Sallie.  Certainly is a lot to process. Here in Ohio, as you may have heard, our governor has been leading the way with extreme measures to flatten the curve and reduce the peak of the virus.  All of this has me very concerned by the willingness of people to trade freedom for security, as Amanda mentioned.  I fear we'll end up with neither. That, of course, also remains to be seen.  We'll have to pray and take things one day at a time.

Thanks again for your thoughtful insight.

                         Cheryl

Catching up on Dan Patrick this evening and guess what? He had Chris Fowler on talking about whether or not there will be a college football season. They discussed a couple of points I hadn't thought of.

I've cued it up to the start of the interview.

Posted by: @cheryl_k

All of this has me very concerned by the willingness of people to trade freedom for security, as Amanda mentioned.  I fear we'll end up with neither.

 

I completely agree.

This is the full video I referenced in my video.

I've cued it up where the actual interview begins.

FSU Athletic Director on Finances if No College Football