As I think back on 2020, I recall how I felt when I first heard about COVID-19. At the time, I was in Death Valley on vacation with my sweetheart, celebrating my birthday. The news on TV told us about a deadly virus in Wuhan, China. I remember thinking how awful it sounded, but I felt safe. I was in the USA after all. When the virus arrived here in February, I was surprised, but still not worried. After all, this is America. “They” won’t let this thing get out of control. “They” will take care of us.
In early March, my company told us to go home and work from there for the foreseeable future. I remember feeling happy about that. The office I work in is noisy and confining, so I was glad to pack up and go. Even then I wasn’t afraid. I knew that “they” would nip this thing in the bud and everything would be back to normal in a few weeks.
Fast forward to nearly a year later and we’re still working from home. The virus has invaded every corner of the world with few exceptions. I am now afraid. I know two people who have died from it, both women. One was 91, the other was 71. No one is able to stop this. The government, the medical industry, and the scientists still don’t know how to stop it. There is no “they” who will ride in on that white stallion and slay the beast. For the first time in my life, I see that now. We’re on our own and always have been. We were just too comfortable and maybe spoiled to see it before. We never had to deal with this kind of crisis. How will we get through? Will we survive? I’m sure most of us will. Some won’t. Those who do will have learned a valuable lesson in humility, flexibility, and maybe taking responsibility. And maybe that’s the message we needed to get.
Dispatches From Silicon Valley 