No One Really Knows What’s Happening
06/15/20
By Chef Won Kim
Chef and editor Won Kim wearing a mask.
In what started out as a two week quarantine and become a virus that may wreak havoc until the end of 2021, we still haven’t mastered our new normal. How much have we really learned about this disease and this spreading virus? We have read reports disputing and supporting the use of PPE gear, protests using with automatic rifles demanding haircuts, reports that symptoms range from mild to death. One thing is for sure, people are still sick and people are actually dying. These are the only true facts that have been presented and will continue to happen. There is arguing and discussion from across the political spectrum and from all disciplines on what the virus has done to society and our livelihoods. The amount of opinions and self-appointed expertise of some have gone well beyond reasonable. People from all walks of life, myself included, are suddenly city planners/politicians/conspiracy theorists/scientists/biologists all rolled into one.
Throughout all of the madness and chaos that has happened within the last three months, I have gone through seven weeks of battling Covid-19 and pneumonia, working, painting, fundraising, and trying to organize things for the common good. We all like to think that being good is instilled in us and that it is common sense. It really is so much more than that. It is organization, patience, arguments, meetings, outreach, phone calls, emails, Zoom meetings, social media–everything that is not always natural. We all want to do good and do what’s right, however, how do we determine the crucial details? What seems right to one person may be complete opposite to the next.
There is no definitive method or thought that benefits the masses and can alone be deemed as “the right thing to do.” Look at politics throughout this whole disaster. What seemed right was to invest billions into corporations and give everyone a $1200 check for three months of unemployment, that was supposed to help out the economy. It was on us, the people, to spend this money so taxes can get directly sent back to the economy for the greater good. It’s so fucked and this is just one small example of what our out-of-touch government thought was going to help make it right. Of course it was so wrong, and just a tiny band-aid for a massive machete cut across the country’s jugular.
With our own government arguing indecisively about what to do for the greater good, the best thing we could do was to help each other–our immediate family, and then our communities. So many of our industry peers have stepped up to feed strangers, neighborhoods, friends, and anyone that has needed a hot meal. Restaurants, bars, and other organizations have stepped up and collected donations to give away, set up pantries, organized events for charity, and distributed food for those in need; their only obligation or incentive to try and help people feel ‘normal’. This time off has reset a lot of people’s minds to turn to the greater good and to see past our own individual needs and benefits. Does this mean we are all good people? Not necessarily, but we do know how to be better during a time of need and see past our own selfishness to assist in any way for a return to normalcy.
Amidst all this, we are still here, ready to help and listen, to soak in information, to think through situations, and to reply like normal, rational human beings. Have we ever stopped our agenda in helping each other out or having empathy for one another? No. I say we don’t see a need for praise for what we think is doing the right thing during a difficult time. Again, how do we know that what we are doing is right? What kind of validation merits what we are doing is the right thing to do? We don’t know. I guess all we have to go on is our own feelings of accomplishment.
It has been a turbulent three months, and Covid-19 is still very much relevant. Actual scientific data proves it. If there has ever been a time for everyone to find commonality with each other, it is that we all have this virus to deal with. The virus doesn’t care about your income, beliefs, or what you did 10 years ago. It has the potential to kill you–that is the reality. So in this new masked world, where showing expression or emotion in person is even harder, maybe taking a breath and a little time to process information will go a long way.
Won Kim is the chef behind Kimski and the Quarantine Times Monday editor. Each week since March, Won has selected a Chicagoan to share a commissioned creative response to the pandemic.