Letter to the Editor - Forewarned is forearmed

Of the many lessons my parents taught this old man over the years, a couple seem especially apropos for today.

The first is “history repeats itself,” and the second is “forewarned is forearmed.”

We find ourselves in the midst of a worldwide epidemic just as people across countless eras and ages before us have. But unlike previous generations, we have advanced knowledge and tools and the hard-earned lessons gleaned from their experiences to guide and preserve us.

The many Louis Pasteurs who discovered the causes and found the cures, the Samuel Pepyses who shared the horrors of the plagues with us in their diaries and fictions, the George Washingtons and Thomas Jeffersons who recognized the value of standing together rather than alone — all those who preceded us — have placed us in a position to weather this storm.

Unfortunately, my parents also taught me that what goes around comes around and that for every two steps forward a man and mankind take, he and it seem forever impelled to take one step back

That is why, in this time when man has taken a giant step backward, we must rely more than ever on each other. We have been given the tools to sit out this “slow-moving hurricane” — homes with modern conveniences to shelter and amuse us, mass production to keep us in toilet paper and food, communications devices to keep us informed and in touch.

Instead of blaming people for putting me in this stay-at-home situation, I am thankful that they had the foresight to suggest it. I am particularly grateful, too, that past generations have provided me the wherewithal to share what I have with others.

I may not be a multi-billionaire capable of lessening the burdens of thousands of less fortunate people, but I do have a few loose shekels I can donate to area food banks and other institutions that help shoulder the burden that’s fallen upon all of us.

Let’s hope those in charge re-learn the hard-fought lessons of the past and take the necessary steps to rebuild the infrastructures that have been dismantled or allowed to deteriorate.

Life is just a journey, after all, best survived and savored one step or quiet moment at a time, alone or together.

Alan Sorensen

Havre