Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa
and Happy New Year to all!
We will all have to apply ourselves to make these Holidays fun and happy. This is a Season where personal responsibility will be vitally important and we all need to use the best judgement we can even with all the confusing information.
The Dilemmas
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the wild politics and the busy holiday season, there are so many distractions and pressures that it is hard to stay focused. At work, at home, wherever, there is a lot going on and much of it is way out of the normal patterns for this Season. There will be fewer shopping trips to the local stores, lots of trips to UPS to mail packages, fewer visits with family and friends, etc. Routines will change.
Do we wear masks to try to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus as some tell us to do? Do we decide that this is unnecessary and perhaps expose someone to the virus? The guidance we are getting is confusing.
It will be lonely for some people with all the restrictions on visiting and celebrating together. There is the real fear that a grandparent or other susceptible person could get infected by being accidently exposed to a family member with the virus. In the cold weather we are all spending more time inside and closer to others.
Our care givers need our support and prayers. So do the store clerks, the cleaning people, our co-workers, cooks and servers, the Doctors and nurses, etc.; so many have to work where others are around so we all have to try to keep our distances (social distancing) and try not to spread the virus.
We each need to take the personal responsibility to try to avoid spreading the virus. With all the pressures, this is not easy. It is best if we each take personal responsibility to social distance and try to avoid spreading the virus. Government edicts really do not cover the details of what we each need to do very well. It is really up to us.
With the COVID-19 vaccines just now getting approved a whole new debate is opening up that we all have a stake in. This is another big distraction. Who should get it first? What should the priorities be? Is it safe? Already there are strong opinions beginning to clash. If we are not mindful, our selfish sides will cause a lot of strife and concern.
Taking Personal Responsibility
So it seems to me that each of us has to take personal responsibility to make the best decisions, unselfish decisions, to make things work as well as they can. We need to keep asking ourselves if we really need to go out. Can we plan our trips so that we keep our exposures as low as we can? We need to be mindful about going into places where it can be crowded. We need to think about our work places and do our best to try to avoid spreading the virus.
None of us have all the information we need, so we have to think carefully about of situations we face and make the best decisions we can, for each other and for ourselves. We need to be especially careful when we make an impetuous decision out of frustration. We need to look out for each other when the frustrations are high.
High Frustrations Can Lead to Violent Behavior
We do not have a right to take out our frustrations on other people whether it is at work, at home, in a store or anywhere. I have read that during this pandemic that the incidence of family and co-worker abuse has gone way up. We need to look out for ourselves and each other so these situations can be avoided. Sometimes we just need to go for a walk to get this out of our systems. Sometimes we need more space. Please pay attention to each other, at home and at work, and when you see something going wrong try to help to defuse things. We are not alone. We can help each other. There are ways to de-stress!
Please have the very best Holiday Season you can have.
It will not be easy as people are returning to the workplace. Leaders and managers must get out of their offices and purposefully engage with the people. They need to talk about the COVID-19 problem, share what is happening, and talk about the problems with which they are dealing. They need to do this with openness, honesty, respect, and caring. This is not just a one-off contact; leaders and managers need to engage in these conversations every day!
I have abstracted it here for those reading this newsletter since you may have missed it.
In all cases, the healthcare provider and local health department should be consulted.
Like all flus, we need to take it seriously and take appropriate steps to protect ourselves and our families. I have read a lot about what employers should do to protect their employees, which makes sense, but it sounds as if they are running a kindergarten class. OSHA has declared the flu as a recognized workplace hazard, so employers do have a responsibility to do what they can to protect the people, but there is a lot we can do for ourselves.
