If you could be anyone, whom might you choose to be? Warren Buffet? Beyonce? Banksy? Ellen Johnson Sirleaf? That mega-rich Nigerian prince who keeps emailing you?
Or maybe someone no longer (or never truly) with us, like Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Spider-Man, or Hildy Johnson (a main character from one of my favorite movies, His Girl Friday; if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it). Or maybe one of these guys.
But who did you want to be when you were very young? A doctor or nurse? A garbageman/woman? A police officer or firefighter? A caregiver of some kind or other?
Back to the future
Funny how things change. Or maybe not so funny. Now that we’re in the midst of the ‘rona pandemic, our admiration for the rich and famous is taking a back seat to that for people we’re actually likely to interact with regularly. And who do a lot more good for us.
Health care professionals are publicly lauded daily (at least I hope what all that 8:00 p.m. howling is all about. I’d hate to think I’m now surrounded by rabid wolfpeople). And we’re caring much more about the people stocking grocery shelves, delivering packages to us, and performing important governmental responsibilities.
In The Before Times, it’s likely that these people existed far in the backgrounds of our minds. Or, for people like me without a mind, somewhere equally distant. Seldom if ever did many of us likely give them much thought other than the times we came into direct contact with them. And if you are/were one of these people, the same probably applied to you as to others in similarly situated groups.
Many of us may even have looked down on a lot of these folks. I’m proud to say that I’m not one of them. Of course, I’m really short. So it’s hard for me to look down on anyone. But I digress. It mightn’t have mattered that the garbageman/woman is providing a critical service. Or that the cashier is an aspiring actor or student looking to make some money to keep costs down and/or food on the table. Or that the janitor is an immigrant, who with his or her family fled terrible conditions in The Old Country, seeking a better life in our country. In fact, it’s likely that most of us never bothered to learn these persons’ stories at all.
Hope afloats
But I think anyone pursuing FIRE (or already there and trying to keep the gravy train a-movin’) owes these common men and women an enormous debt of gratitude. Not just for the goods and services they provide. But for keeping economies afloat even in the midst of a pandemic.
Sure, untold numbers of people have been laid off or furloughed around the globe since the ‘rona first appeared. But as we now see, there’s generally a certain base level to economies. Millions of jobs are essential enough that they must be performed. Yet more millions of jobs can (relatively) easily be performed remotely or otherwise.
These common folks, Dear Reader, are saving our collective butt now. It’s through their efforts that many businesses are able to keep going (and in some cases thriving). And that stock markets haven’t dropped to 0. And that most renters and homeowners are so far able to pay the rent or mortgage to the landlord or lender and so help keep the latter afloat. And that they can afford to buy goods and services themselves. And keep themselves and those they care for in good(ish) health.
So let’s give thanks for the efforts — often brave ones — of those keeping the economic gears moving and providing essential services. And here’s hoping that once the crisis has mercifully passed, we don’t automatically revert back to superficial hero worship. Rather, let’s retain our admiration and appreciation for the unsung and not be a jerk.
