There is no way anyone should make light of our present circumstances. Our near future is uncertain and there is no way to know what the coming months will bring.
I have been trying to think how present circumstances might offer some opportunities. I am over 70 and while there are online ways to interact with family members, my wife and I are now going to have to be isolated. Our social media and online opportunities save us.
Why not consider the time I now take for granted (I am retired) as an opportunity to learn? Many more people are going to be in my situation. Even things like watching the sporting event of the day has changed. The news is important, but a steady diet of the depressing information can’t be helpful. I am not a movie buff. Why not learn something?
I consume mostly Kindle books and audio books. I pay for many, but I have also discovered just how valuable the multiple libraries I belong to can be in providing access to digital content. I have multiple library cards because I spend time in different locations. It is not as weird as it might sound. Out of curiosity, I contacted one of these libraries today to ask what someone who does not presently have access might do? Was there a way to become a card carrier remotely? Yes, at least my local library offers this service (https://www.hclib.org/about/library-cards#get-a-library-c). I am guessing your local library may be the same. You can both get a card and download content from your home.
My suggestion is that we try to both read for pleasure and read to learn.
Here are a couple of suggestions. I tried to identify reads/listens that are relevant to present circumstances and informative.
Ezra Klein – Why we’re polarized. This is a book about our political divide and for the most part is analytical regarding how we got to our present state without blaming one party or the other. I happen to believe the country needs to try to understand the present situation and the health crisis we are now experiencing will only make the stress of this division worse.
Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum – That used to be us. A personal favorite that describes the global setting and the role of the U.S. in the global mix. I suppose this could have a political orientation, but the content is analytical and issue-oriented.