Reflections on Courage in the Midst of a Pandemic

By Keith Carlson, via Multibriefs

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Public health crises have frequently arisen during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including SARS, MERS, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, H1N1, and now COVID-19. A pandemic of this magnitude has not reared its ugly head since 1918, and there are only a handful of living centenarians who remember that deadly year.

Whether considering the current coronavirus response in terms of economics; local, tribal, state, or federal government; patient care; public health; mitigation; scientific research; essential services; acute care; or primary care, courage is a central pillar of our individual and collective efforts.

Courage is a 7-Letter Word

Courage comes in both large and small packages, and when we write the profiles of courageous human beings in the face of COVID-19, the accumulated stories will be enough to fill the Library of Congress.

Myriad stories have already been told in print, audio, video, and photography. We’ve seen or heard of makeshift morgues in refrigerated trucks in New York City or ice rinks in Spain; selfless doctors and nurses struck down by the virus; and countless others on the front lines whose courage serves as an example of self-sacrifice for the collective.

Beyond healthcare workers who clearly deserve praise, we witness grocery store employees, mail carriers, delivery people, hardware store staff, and journalists who roam the streets in pursuit of stories to tell a public hungry for truth.

We have scientists, epidemiologists, and others laboring tirelessly, some working closely with live samples of the virus under their (hopefully well-protected) noses.

Courage is everywhere. It’s in the paramedic and police officer who respond to a 911 call related to a shooting; there’s blood everywhere, and virus or no virus, they do the work they’re sworn to do. It’s in the heart of the hospice nurse who visits home after home of the dying because that’s what he does, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Courage is a seven-letter word that should be emblazoned across newspaper headlines or in bright lights on the face of the Empire State Building. Courage is a trait that simultaneously makes us ever so human and thoroughly superhuman.

Gratitude Will Never Be Enough

How will we ever sufficiently thank those who filled our prescriptions, staffed the cash registers, or showed up at our door to fix the plumbing as they put themselves in potential danger?

In what ways will we eventually take stock of the repercussions that many have labored to mitigate? Some of us wrote articles, recorded podcasts, and engaged in useful endeavors in order to do our part, and such contributions are worthy in their own right.

Having said that, those who literally gave their lives attempting to save patients or provide essential services were and are heroic beyond measure. Thus, our gratitude will never feel like enough, especially to loved ones who grieve their departure from this mortal coil.

Courage Comes in All Sizes

Consider the moral courage of the Brooklyn landlord who forgave rent for tenants desperately trying to feed their families while walking a financial tightrope.

We can also acknowledge the nameless private citizens engaged in undocumented yet equally courageous acts of kindness and generosity. These unsung heroes may be donating money they cannot truly afford or helping a sick yet isolated elderly neighbor who is helpless and potentially infectious.

The Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" was able to summon his courage when it was needed most. In concert with the Tin Man’s heart and the Scarecrow’s brain, they became defenders and supporters of the highest magnitude when the intrepid Dorothy needed them.

Private individuals, certain political leaders, community organizers, and massive armies of volunteers, medical personnel, first responders, and private citizens are doing ordinary yet remarkable things at every moment, and it’s a wonder to behold.

Someday, we’ll take full stock of this historical moment that upended our lives. Some lessons will have been fully grasped, while others will likely pass us by and bite us in the derriere when the true “Big One” comes to town as an even more virulent pandemic.

Courage will spur us into further action, including the prescient, crucial, yet admittedly unsexy (and possibly politically unpopular) notion of funding the public health infrastructure like never before. Or perhaps it will mean pushing for a single-payer health plan that could save citizens from bankruptcy for coronavirus-related illness and hospitalization.

Courage is, in essence, one of many human characteristics that COVID-19 can gift us if we’re ready to embody it. Are you prepared to be more courageous than ever in the face of an existential threat? This may indeed be a dress rehearsal for “the Big One,” yet as actors on the world stage, we can rise to the occasion, step into the spotlight, and embody the zeitgeist of a true 21st-century hero. Are you ready?

Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, has been a nurse since 1996. He is the blogger behind the award-winning blog, Digital Doorway, a widely read freelance nurse writer, and motivational/keynote speaker. Keith is the host of The Nurse Keith Show, a popular nursing career podcast. Under the auspices of Nurse Keith Coaching, Keith's passion is helping nurses and healthcare professionals create ultimate satisfaction in both their personal and professional lives.