Social Distancing: The New Litmus Test For Character

There are currently 34,000 cases of the Coronavirus in the United States - 400 of which have resulted in death. The virus is now in every state and cases are growing exponentially. We cannot turn on the television or scroll through social media and not be bombarded with the loss of life caused by Coronavirus. Yet, some people are still not engaging in social distancing and refuse to wear masks. Drive through any subdivision in Georgia, as I did in my town of Alpharetta, and you are bound to see groups of neighbors gathering together - ironically usually discussing the virus. The Greenways in my town and others are filled with clusters of folks rollerblading, biking in groups, and otherwise ignoring the fact that we are in the midst of a deadly pandemic: A pandemic to which there is no current cure or available vaccine to protect us. Right now, social distancing is our only hope to save lives and stop the spread. But first, we need to stop being selfish and putting our needs to socialize above another’s right to survive this pandemic.

Is it really that difficult for people to stay home or act responsibly when they do go outside?

Seemingly, it is. More seemingly, the depth of one’s character appears to dictate how they respond to this emergency.

While most people accept their responsibility to do their part in limiting potential exposure to the Coronavirus, there are others whose arrogance and innate selfishness - displayed in vivid color - allow us to see their true character. Are you putting your wish to hang out with friends, visit family, fly unnecessarily, and not self-quarantine after traveling abroad - above the rights of the rest of us to protect ourselves from potential death?

If you are, then your ignorance and selfishness are killing people. Literally.

This isn’t about you: It’s about all of us.

If folks can’t do the right and self regulate their social distancing, then our governors, city officials, and other authorities must mandate our response to this pandemic. Social distance on our own or face a national lockdown. Those are our choices.

We are running out of time.

There are 341,000 Coronavirus cases worldwide and 13,000 people have lost their lives. Our failure to force citizens to adhere to social distancing is feeding this insidious virus. If we continue to allow individuals to ignore CDC recommendation, we will see death tolls in numbers we cannot imagine.

We cannot change a person's character - but we can force a person to adhere to a moral compass that assures a path to responsibly and unselfishly looking out for one another.

Governor Kemp and governors everywhere, along with local mayors and town administrators, must increase precautionary measures by ordering "shelter in place".

Tough decisions must be made by tough leaders.

If citizens were successful in fully governing themselves - we would have no need for Governor Kemp.

Overnight, President Trump tweeted:

"WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELf".

This callous attitude only continues to encourage those who are not acting responsibly and with concern for their fellow citizens. There are no social inconveniences or economic struggles "worse" than a single life lost who could have been spared.

To Governor Kemp, local city and town officials, and governors and officials in all states:

Save our lives - not our social lives.

DO YOUR JOB.

#slowthe virus #makeleaderslead