Reality Check

Remember Forward

“…These days our frail membrane tries to remember

forward. Remembering forward requires we keep our frail filaments soft and supple.

It’s a summoning thing.”

John Paul Ledernach (excerpt from “Memoriale: Mindful Remembering, An ‘Unfolding Poem for the Moment We’re In,” On Being Website, April 8, 2020)

          I find it harder and harder to remember how things used to be in the old days, before the pandemic. I wonder whether you do, too. We are now accustomed to wearing masks in public, to talking through cloth, and not being able to read other people’s expressions. It’s hard to imagine life returning to its normal contours. The virus is still with us as strong as ever. Here in Alabama, as in most states, the numbers are still rising—new cases, and new deaths. It’s a grim statistic that we watch tick up daily, even while the beaches open, and businesses eagerly fling open their doors.

          When we remember forward, I hope we include the very real situation that we’re in—not the one we wish for, though our denial increases as our boredom grows and our bank accounts shrink. We have never been through something like this, so we don’t realize just how serious it is—and we don’t want to realize it. Perhaps the gay community can relate, since they watched the HIV-AIDS virus claim thousands of lives a day in the 90’s. But many of us are inclined to tell ourselves that, after such a long time, it must be over. It’s behind us, right? No. It’s not.

          I understand how ready we are to get back to life, if we can remember how to do that. But here’s the thing—I think our “frail membrane” is going to see future life differently. Perhaps for a while, maybe even a long time, we will need to be considerate of others, even if we, ourselves, feel invincible. So many of us are vulnerable—the old, the disabled, those with quiet sicknesses, and even people who deny that they are vulnerable. From now on, until we have a reliable vaccine, we will have a future that is different from what we remember.

And in many ways, that future will be better than the past. We are in the process of remembering who we are—soft beings, not titans of conquest, not storm-troopers in robotic garb. It’s okay to feel a little scared, a little cautious. Those who don’t, will likely regret it. Let’s remember to be considerate today—let’s summon a future in which everyone is still alive.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                               Jane