Coronavirus and the Era of Unemployment and Hope in Peril

 In perilous financially troubled times of COVID-19, or Coronavirus, we are humbled to uncertainties of the future.  It has gripped our attention to the things we take for granted.  Things like our careers, our income, intrinsic wealth and even our lack of compassion is taken for granted.  All these things when regularly supplied dulls our senses to hope.  Many in this demographic have lost their work and livelihood during this pandemic.  Many have dropped so far as to lose all hope and have found themselves in the pit of desperation.

To all of those millions……………….I have no words of consolation.

If you are still reading this and find yourself in this category then you are clinging on to that thin string called hope.  This is not your garden variety “pep” talk or cliche words of encouragement.  Those are a dime a dozen out there.  This is my story and my journey.  Take it for what it is.

I remember back when I was eleven.  Up to that point my life was filled with pain and periodic medical treatment.  Both of my kidneys were blocked and was poisoning my system.  The proper nuclear medical procedures finally have developed enough to allow my surgical procedures.  You may ask what that has to do with COVID-19 or what’s dubbed the China Virus.  In my journey…..everything.

As a young child I was severely introverted both before and especially after those surgeries.  I was very protective of my kidney area and recoiled at every little situation.  These things took a lifetime it seemed to work through.  The point is that in those times - hope for me was trivial.  Before those procedures I had to cling to the hope of my mother.  That alone sustained me.  After - though recovering, I felt I had no reason to hope.  Especially for a young man commencing his confused adolescence.  

Yet, even in the midst of believing there is no reason to hope you have to keep breathing.  That is the foundation of the human design in this life.  In times of hardship like these we need to keep breathing if we find ourselves without hope.  Even if we take the hard pill and file for welfare state assistance to feed our families we need to keep breathing.  

So, I kept breathing.  I went into the military as a rebellious “ass” at the beginning of Desert Storm and came out with a medical discharge.  Another major setback seemingly without hope but I kept breathing.  No, I never went to college but chose to amass a vast wealth of knowledge that I relish to share with others.  I’ve learned from the ground up the precepts of manufacturing, shipping, logistics, territorial management, government and international work and management at all levels.

Sure, there have been many times (more than I can count on my fingers and toes) that I’ve felt without even hope.  Nevertheless, I’m here which means I still chose to keep breathing.  

Let’s bring it back to the Coronavirus.  Sure, we’ve suffered major economic and social turmoil.  However, unlike the Great Depression we now have the ability to quickly snap back from such societal ailments.  Even now most all sectors of the economy are on the “V” swing rise at an unprecedented rate.

In my final few words I turn my attention to those serving in talent acquisition, human resource or just plain those in charge of hiring new employees.  Learn to take that leap of faith on a person.  Don’t toil yourselves with digging through hundreds of applications for that “one” you feel will carry your company into the 25th century.  Reflect on your own lives.  Do any of the words above describe you or your family growing up?  

Please don’t dismiss the worth of those with age either.  We may not be millennials or even the most tech savvy.  Yet, we have a wealth of knowledge and discipline that only time and experience can supply.  The young are equally important.  Likewise, the well “seasoned” are equally as important as the young.

I’ve tried to keep this as focused as I could without straying or confusing people too much.  I believe I’ve failed at that one (lol).  Still, I can break down or condense down the entire subject matter into one little sentence.

You must keep breathing….even when you feel there’s no reason to hope.