If COVID-19 Has a Silver Lining, Perhaps This Is It

(689 words, three-minute read)

As the COVID-19 death toll rises, it is clear that several countries have handled the health crisis better than we have. Responses were faster, better coordinated, and guided by science. The reward was fewer deaths and less stress on their hospital systems. This disparity will intensify as we struggle to restart our economies.

I hope this moment is a cathartic one. One in which the lessons learned result in a broader recognition of areas in which the US is slipping behind, and why. If we choose to embrace it, this could be the silver lining of the crisis. But, it won’t be easy.

America has immense and enviable attributes

We occupy a large land mass, rich in natural resources, with borders secured by two friendly trading partners and two oceans. English is the dominant language of commerce, and the dollar is the reserve currency of the world. Our military protects us from conventional threats and has enabled us to assert our will throughout the world. We have enjoyed over two centuries of stable democratic government and tremendous economic growth. Many of our companies lead the world in technological innovation.

Countries, like people, don’t learn from their successes

The downside of these attributes, however, is that such size and strength enables us to isolate socially, politically, and intellectually. One can easily spend a lifetime in America without meaningful exposure to the governments and systems of other developed countries. Such isolation is simply less likely for someone growing up within the open borders of places like the  European Union.

By implication, America is able to operate reasonably unburdened by knowledge of the world around us. Our leadership encourages our myopia with reminders of our exceptionalism. We are assured that we are indeed the greatest nation on earth, the leader of the free world, a just and benevolent nation. In the oft repeated words of Ronald Reagan, America is the true “shining city on a hill,” an example for all to see and emulate. 

Our self-image distorts how we see reality

Although such assurances feel good and we are not the only country to so indulge, the intensity of the belief in our own exceptionalism has obscured the reality of our declining stature. In our world, we still believe that the best of everything is here. That our way is the best way. That if we can’t do it here, it can’t be done. There is no reason to even ask how others do it because we can do it better. 

For example, we debate healthcare solutions as if no other country has anything to teach us. It simply doesn’t occur to us to begin the discussion with a review of what Germany, Japan, and Canada do. How do they achieve better outcomes at a lower cost? Do they really ration care? What part of their experience would work in America? 

Let’s be honest about how we are doing

With honest, unfiltered evaluation, we can recognize that in many ways we have fallen behind. 

The futures of our children have been mortgaged with profligate spending and borrowing. We have a bloated military budget designed to fight the past war rather than the next one. Our government lacks our confidence, we have a healthcare system that is more expensive than any other and produces poorer outcomes than many and our infrastructure is crumbling. Our educational system is failing to prepare many for the jobs of the future and we tolerate a greater level of incarceration and gun violence than any other nation.

And then let’s use this time to get real

These are hard realities supported by the facts. In order to confront them, we need to shed the comfort of our myths, develop greater curiosity about how others do things, and avoid wasting time and resources reinventing the wheel. 

Modern problems are complex and cannot be understood or solved with modern attention spans. We must engage, read, learn, debate, remember, and be accountable for our decisions. 

And vote like it matters

This begins with being accountable for our votes. For too long, most Americans have failed to vote and those who have voted have done so as if the outcome doesn’t matter. The result is a generation of leaders skilled in campaigning but lacking visionary and managerial competence. In America, competence in the absence of glitz has become boring and unelectable. But at the end of the day, reality is not infinitely elastic and skill matters.

It is time to vote as if voting matters. Because it does.