Tough Times

Tough times make tough people

- OPB, 05/22/20

I heard this quote on the radio this morning. I don’t remember who said it, but it struck me. The first part that caught my attention was the word “make”. “Make” is a verb, and if it is concerning a sentient noun it implies a conscious decision. In this case, however, it is regarding the “times” which takes on a new meaning. To me, this implies that the sentient nouns who are living within those “times” must make a conscious decision on what they will become during these “times”. This quote refers to the times being tough, and that those living in those times should make the decision to emulate their environment.

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For historic and archival purposes I will sum up what’s happening to ensure context is provided (this may be the only piece of text found by an alien species 50,000 years from now, who knows). In December of 2019, the United States was hearing murmurs of a virus spreading throughout China. While we like to blame the powers that be, I believe it is the collective American arrogance that caused us to ignore the signs. By mid-March of 2020, America declared a nation-wide quarantine, and COVID-19 (a form of coronavirus) was known as a global pandemic, impacting cities and countries worldwide.

While visiting my parents in Bellingham, Washington I contracted the virus. We all had it. The symptoms were different for us all and we all suffered and recovered individually. We were fortunate to have each other’s support and our independent foundations of health which diminished the risk of hospitalization or death. During this time we all lost work, money, and opportunity. At 27 years old and self-employed, I saw the end of the life I knew and the beginning of a new, darker version. While I sought out options for my future I found very few answers and found myself looking in places that I never thought I’d look (including Amazon Delivery Services and the United States Military).

Fast forward to today – we’re been in various states of quarantine across the country for over 9 weeks. I put my pants on a found work (and for those wondering I’m not in basic training). At this point, the lives we’ve all been living for the past 9 weeks have begun to feel like the new normal. While we’ve all been experiencing the same pandemic we’ve faced different circumstances, both internal and external.

When I heard that quote on the radio this morning it struck me. It circumnavigated the sounds of cars outside and the dishes I was washing because there was a diamond of truth at its core – we need to be tough.

Toughness takes on many shapes and sizes, but if there’s one thing I’ve observed in the 27.5 years of existing in America it’s that we’ve traded in toughness and acuity for passive-aggression and submission. There are loud voices that seem to take on a tone of valor, but if you dig deeper they sound more like an excuse from responsibility.

We need to be tough. Life is unforgiving. It’s full of predators, pandemics, and perils beyond comprehension. In our modern, 21st-century bubble we’ve demanded so much from each other and life, and have forgotten a key factor: life does not care about you or your feelings. Hurricanes and viruses are not concerned about your iPhone update and the traffic that you sit in. It doesn’t care about human shortcomings such as racism and classism. We made all of those things up. Like two children arguing over which one can be the knight and which one can be the dragon, we are arguing over equally mythical topics. While there may be real outcomes from these constructs, they are, at their core, human constructs.

We need to be tough. There has never been room for our inherent immaturity, but now more than ever pragmatism needs to be considered as a necessity for survival. Regardless of what happens next, we need to grow as a species – now. Empathy and compassion are needed, but we also need to understand the fine line between the entitlement of heightened sensitivity and caring enough about a situation to truly help and make a change. I’m fatigued by the politically-driven arguments over social minutiae that have caused more division than unity.

I’m looking at the mirror today and asking myself how I can be tough. This doesn’t mean turning off my emotions. This means being responsible, innovative, and creative. It means refusing to crawl into the fetal position when the beast rears back and roars. It means that I need to be a strong segment of a greater body for all of those who are a part of the same family of gears that make up our species.

Tough times make tough people. Stop arguing about bullshit. We all may need to shift our individual boundaries of what comfort looks like, but that might not be a bad thing.

Unflinchingly,

Dylan Santos Green

05/22/20

The image used is a screenshot of my mom, dad, sister, and I Face-timing while we all had COVID-19 (03/23/20). I am happy to report that my mom is back on her feet teaching Zumba classes remotely, my father is back to working with restaurants on how they can safely reopen, and I have found employment opportunities within my field. My sister never lost her job and is doing also doing well.