It’s been decades since hearing Dad’s voice firsthand. One of his favourite messages applied in several circumstances. It’s my turn to propose the same tip regarding the current state of our upcoming holiday season.
To be clear, I hung up my uniform over two years ago but still consider myself a part of the fraternity of first responders. Retiring before our worldwide scourge from the pandemic, the sickness surrounding all of us weighs heavily on my conscience. Success in the fight against the virus hinges around one principle; timing.
Telling a joke in my youth, the absence of laughter after the punch line netted Dad’s appraisal; “your timing was off, Curly (that’s when I had hair).” Timing is critical to so many aspects of our lives. Walking, driving a car, flying a plane, the list is endless. Timing will dictate to a large degree how we come out of the other side of the ever-present threat of COVID.
You do not have to invent, research or study the data on the sickness to get the punch line. Although some are doing better than others, scientists, politicians, and bureaucrats are doing the work. We must trust the science and get on with the plan laid down by superiors to protect ourselves and those we serve.
It sounds a little utopian to give those in high places such leverage over our health, safety and future, but you have to believe in something. From my perspective, the collective knowledge and experience of the science community are far and away more reliable than any of us out on the road.
When it comes to the administrators and managers just above the front-line staff, that’s where I step back and have some doubts at times. The same principle applies to their planning and execution of an ever-evolving approach to defeat the bug. Now, this is where I will cut them a little slack.
All the parts of the problem and equation to solve said problem are like a moving target. As science unfolds, the curves encountered along the way dictate that the leaders adjust their plans. Their success and ultimately ours as the virus transmitting public still relies heavily on timing. As more information comes down the pike, all things considered, we should get better at ending the pandemic.
Everyone downstream from the scientists and researchers has to exercise patience and understanding. There will always be changes to the approach and process of fighting any disease. Adaptability and attention to detail are two areas where responders and healthcare professionals shine.
If you think I am selling “Kool-Aid”, you underestimate the author. I never said we should all lay down and give up, following like sheep. Everyone, and I mean everyone, must remain in some form of readiness or another. Specifically, YOUR observations and the results of your hard work will provide as much input and influence to the end result as the most technical support in laboratories, political circles and the bureaucracy above us all.
It is incumbent on those operating above the front lines of emergency responders and healthcare workers to encourage that feedback brewing in the field. Administrators interpreting real-time experience to gauge progress must convert their findings to actions to help bring the problem under control. It’s a hard sell, getting everyone on board playing their part.
It might seem easier to be a naysayer, anti-this or that, pushing back against the “establishment”, but in the end, delays and poor timing result in missed opportunities that will continue to extract a cost none of us would willingly forfeit. The principle of timing is everyone’s responsibility. The failure to unite our efforts through timing will undoubtedly mean the joke is at our expense. It’s no Joke!
Christmas is coming regardless of our actions. Will it be intact and on time?