Pandemic has taught us all a lot

Things we have learned from the pandemic so far:

•Zoom works. It’s not perfect, but the software makes meetings — business, church, organizations and family — far easier.

There are some caveats, however.

—It’s not a good idea to take part in a Zoom meeting while you are having lunch or dinner. It’s rude, and it’s disruptive and distracting. Eat later, after you’ve been on Zoom.

—Learn where the mute button is. Interruptions are inevitable, but the rest of the group doesn’t need to hear your cellphone conversation.

—Think about what’s behind you. Harsh lighting from behind can make you hard to see on the screen. And no one wants to see your dirty laundry or unwashed dishes in the background.

•Being informed is the best way to avoid anxiety. Sure, things are scary. It is, in fact, important to be scared enough to change one’s behavior. But the best way to deal with this is to learn as much as you can from sources that are as responsible as possible, then chart your course accordingly.

•There’s a mountain of crap on the internet. You knew that before, of course. But now that mountain of crap could kill you. Don’t fall for quack medical advice. Don’t swallow some weird mix of chemicals because of a YouTube video from some nut job. Remember that 99% of it is crap, and go back to sources you trust, like your local doctor or — if you don’t have one — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov).

•An event like this generates crooks. Actually, crooks is too nice a term. These are the human scum primed to take advantage of their fellow humans during any time of uncertainty or crisis. In quieter times, they might be stealing Social Security numbers or overcharging for work on your driveway. But right now, they’re going for the gold. Your gold. Scammers are the cockroaches of this era. Be smart, and tell them to buzz off.

•Fear makes us vulnerable. There’s truth in that. It’s what the scammers in the previous paragraph are counting on.

•Neighbors matter. Check in when you can. Even a wave and a shout of hello can brighten a day.

•There are books on the bookshelves that you’ve never read. Maybe they were Christmas gifts or birthday presents. Maybe they were something left over from high school or college. You’ve never cracked their covers. Now is a great time to try. I’m about a third of the way into something I should have read as an undergraduate and would have been required to read if grad school hadn’t been interrupted by the draft. And it’s great.

•Exercise matters. Stay-at-home can translate quickly into becoming sedentary. But it doesn’t have to. Even a modest daily regimen — stretching, sit-ups, push-ups and the like — can keep your body alert and alive.

•Sunshine is a gift. Everyone’s mood improves when we see the sun. Could be the Vitamin D, could be something more. At any rate, we all know how much better we feel when the sun is shining.

•Mowing the lawn no longer feels like a chore. It gets us out of the house and into the weather. And for a while we can forget about things like “flattening the curve.”

•Recent technological changes have made this easier to bear. Cellphones, software that allows work from home and all the rest are relatively new phenomena. Imagine going through this same period of history without them.

•Our fates are inextricably linked with the rest of the world. China feels far away, India feels far away. Heck, even Duluth, Minnesota, can feel far away. But this little virus doesn’t care about any of that. It doesn’t care about boundaries or language or culture or economics or systems of government. It just doesn’t care.

So we have to care.

We have to care for one another.