LIVING WITH THE THREAT OF THE VIRUS

Today, I am thinking about living with the threat of the coronavirus, and want to share my impressions with you.

I live in one of the suburbs of Boston called Westborough. We are part of a large complex, called the Willows, and have an apartment in the independent living section with two bedrooms and two baths. We have about 150 residents. Right now, we are asked to stay indoors for an unforeseeable future because of the coronavirus. We do not know how long this curse will last. In the States, we just started to peak, and it will take some time to flatten the curve. Maybe a few weeks?

We are fortunate to live at the Willows where our meals are delivered daily in the evening. But our gym is closed and our library is shut down. We are locked down in place. I am looking out of the window, and there is no one walking. It is eerie!!

When I served in the Turkish army in the late 50’s, I was stationed at the Greek border in a large tank unit. I was a 2^nd lieutenant in charge of 5 tanks. However, when the revolution against the Menderes government began , I was told to take over the military jail because I have a degree in law. So, I stayed behind and assumed my new position. But I lived outside of the jail, not inside.

Now I feel as if I am inside a jail, and do not like it. I feel constrained and unable to walk freely. We cannot visit our grandchildren; we can only talk to them by Face time. We do the same with friends and other relatives around the world. We understand this is done for our benefit, in order to avoid contamination. Regrettably the number of people affected is going up. Right now in Boston we have 413 confirmed cases and one death.

We will eventually get over this curse. In the meantime, we need to sit tight and do our best. We are thinking of others around the world who are not as fortunate as we are. I hope this virus will teach us to be more caring, more empathetic and more supportive of each other.

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.

Saturday, March 21, 2020