The Reset Button

Not long ago my phone and TV told me they couldn’t find my Wifi supply. I hunted and tried everything I could think of to get the connection to work, and finally decided the problem was in the wifi router itself. I shuddered to think I’d have to run out and buy a new router (I’m not sure of why it’s called that, but it appears to be so), and then it finally dawned: reset the router. I couldn’t find a “reset” button, so based on past suggestions from various people about various electronic devices, I unplugged it and waited for 10 minutes. It actually worked!

This experience got me thinking about the general chaos in the world right now. It seems to me that we should all take heart and wait for the global “reset” to happen. And it WILL! The pandemic (I call it a plague) will eventually be brought under control. I don’t know if it will be a rolling, repetitive process or an occasional battle or a permanent cure, but it’s coming. The first doses of vaccine which appears to work well are being sent out as this is written. Time will tell us if, like influenza, the vaccines will have to be adjusted periodically to accommodate mutations in the virus, or if it will mutate more slowly (or not at all) and be controllable with the same vaccine. at that time, the “reset” will have occurred.

The same thing seems to be happening with the educational systems. Remote learning isn’t as effective as in-person, classroom learning for various reasons, and parents are panicking at the thought that their child will be less prepared – less educated – because of a gap in their schooling. But they (sometimes including their teachers and future employers) seem to be forgetting that “education” is a process in which learning actually takes place. For most kids effected by the pandemic interruption the system builds-in the opportunity for “next year’s teacher” to evaluate what lapses might have happened in the progression, and will be able to adjust their curriculum to help the students “catch up” to where they should be by the close of the school year. It has always happened that way (because of illness, family emergencies or even just bad teachers the year before). Believe me, in one way or another I’ve seen examples of all of the above! The bottom line is that after the schools are “reset” the kids will be seen through their tough times. Only the graduating high school seniors may actually have uncorrected gaps in their learning, and frankly they will be brought up to snuff by the world and it’s employers’ needs rather quickly.

Next, the financial world is in turmoil with business closings, stock losses and businesses forced to close or cut back drastically. All of this is very true. But consider the nature of the financial world: It is ultimately it’s own driving engine. Stocks will rebound as soon as the forces that closed or delayed or curtailed business function are eliminated. The purpose of a stock exchange is to produce revenue for businesses to grow, and every surviving business will be straining to replace the growth it lost during the recession. Businesses will be struggling to hire enough help to produce larger quantities of profit-making products for the marketplace. Small businesses will return or be replaced by other small businesses eager to get a foothold in the newly burgeoning economy. In short, the economy will do exactly as it has done following every setback in our history: From the recovery after the 1929 crash to the rebound that followed the real estate scandall that accompanied de-regulation of the industry in 2010/2011, the need for continued capital growth and the means to fuel it will re-set the business world as soon as possible.

I’m not really qualified to comment on politics, but there must also be consideration given to the concurrent political division in our country. From Neo-nazis and radical secessionists and racial supremacists to communist and socialist theorists and unreasonable individual rights demands, the clash of ideas and ideals cannot survive the re-setting of society. At some point the need to survive will outstrip the pipe dreams of radical fringe groups and thinkers. The only two possibilities I see here are that A.) We continue as a divided people fighting constant battles over semi-meaningful ideas and never solving anything; or B.) We engage in a massive move to the moderate middle of the spectrum in an effort to save the democracy and preserve the American ideal. This latter implies that both extremes should be able to concede certain points in order to solve important issues and find a consensus. The days of the McConnell / Pelosi wars must stop; and the urgings of Pelosi, Sanders and Ocasio Cortez on the left and Giuliani , Cruz and McConnell on the right MUST be dampened down or we will surely produce a political “COVID” that will gravely endanger us all and lead us into a quarantine effort of self preservation from which there is no visible vaccine.

It’s time we all prepare for the reset button that will begin soon. Our lives will forever be touched and changed by the pandemic and its effects on education, the economy, even our day to day dealings with others in general. It will re-set the world, but not EXACTLY as it was. What heartens me most is knowing that it is within our power – within each of us – to make the re-set world a better one. PLease stay safe: Wear your masks! Stay a “social distance” from each other! Wash your hands often! And remember this: I often hear people say it infringes on their “rights” to force them to wear masks, distance, etc. Well, I’m 74, obese, have heart problems, diabetes, and smoked long enough that breathing problems are inevitable. And wearing masks can literally save my right to life, so come on: Lets talk about “rights” and whose rights are more pressing and important!

vince katarzynski