There is a child’s voice in each of us and sometimes the child speaks out when the adult in us would not. Most frequently that intervening voice says, “I want what I want and I want it now”. Then, the adult must make good on a decision it may not be able to rationalize.
In the time of COVID, as well as other circumstances involving health risks, most decisions of human behavior are speculative. We speculate that most people will not become ill and that we will not be among the sick or deceased. We play with our sense of the odds even though the odds are mathematical and not malleable. We speculate that following the guidance of health experts is like eating our vegetables and in the long run of things eating vegetables today does not matter. We know what we should do, but we do not want to, so we don’t. We speculate that what we do in the “now” will not affect the “future”. The incubation period of the virus is 14 days and if we are not seeing symptoms today, we will be okay in two weeks. We speculate that, like a person driving a car who tries to pass a slower vehicle in a no passing zone, that no one will get hurt this time. The gamble is that no one is in the other lane when we want to be there. We speculate.
In the third month of COVID, school leaders face decisions regarding re-opening school in full or in part or for special events, like graduations and promotion ceremonies. Almost everyone is fatigued with their self- and guidance related-isolation. Spring weather calls us to be outdoors and active. We are cabin fevered. However, in our rural area, health officials have determined that our communities are in the phase of community spread of the virus. We currently have a relatively low number of positive tests but a probable number of untested people who are infected. We are told to be safer at home. Yet, the child voices rise up with “…we have a right to our ceremonies. No one will be harmed. Speculate and give us what we want”.
I am no better nor worse than others when I speculate about myself – only myself. I am willing to bear the results when I risk me. The onus of my responsibility when I speculate about the well-being of others beyond myself is an entirely different matter.
As a public official, I will not be pointed at like the narcissist in Indiana Jones – The Last Crusade with the judgement made of me “…he did not choose wisely” when the data and his adult brain told him “do not do this”.
Until the data clearly tell us that in-person interactions are safe, that there is no car in the on-coming lane because we can see the fact of the matter, school leaders should choose safety.