March 12 was most likely my last day of high school. Walking out the doors that day, I may not have known it, but as the coronavirus continued to spread, as professional sports leagues started to suspend their seasons, and as people started to cancel their spring break plans, that reality quickly started to set in.
What started as a monthlong hiatus from in-person school is increasingly looking like a rest-of-year solution not only for my school but for schools all across the country.
As this new reality starts to make itself clear, my peers and I are undoubtedly saddened and disappointed that our last day of school more than likely came unexpectedly. Moreover, this pandemic most likely took away our graduation, our prom, and the last days we would spend in school with our friends. What we thought would be the final months of our high school career has been wiped out by something out of our control.
In response, kids and parents alike have been publicly mourning the loss of our final days of high school. One much-circulated Facebook post read: “If there’s a high school senior in your life, give them an air hug and pray for them. To them, the cancellation of school is not a vacation. It’s wasted time they don’t get to spend with their friends the last few months before they graduate.” The post went on to say, “They’re nervous that they may not be able to walk the stage and get the diploma they have been working hard on for 12 years. Show them support and love them during these hard times.”
While much of what is said in the post is understandable, we should not get ourselves confused — we high schoolers are not the true victims of the coronavirus pandemic.
While we may have lost our end-of-school functions, millions of people are going to lose their jobs. While our school may have shut down, small businesses that people have been striving to make successful for their entire lives will be shutting their doors forever. Yes, missing out on events we have all looked forward to for the past year is disappointing, but it is in no way comparable to the devastating, life-altering consequences already faced by millions of our fellow Americans.
The economic crisis America finds itself in will not completely abate once our medical crisis is through. Unemployment could hit 20%. We could lose up to 20% of our gross domestic product. Tens of thousands could be left dead. And these are not just numbers — these are people’s livelihoods. This is what matters, not the temporary inconveniences we must deal with in order to ensure the worst does not happen.
These are desperate times. The economic numbers we’re looking at are numbers we haven’t seen since the Great Depression. As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures — and that is exactly what we are attempting to do. We are all staying home, checking in with the vulnerable in our lives, and doing whatever we can to stop this pandemic from completely ravaging the United States.
So while I understand my peers’ concerns, I think it is important that we all come to the realization that no matter how sad we may be that we will not have the opportunity to walk across the stage to receive our diploma, the real consequences faced by millions of people are far greater.
We are not the true victims of this pandemic, and to believe we are would be to miss the forest for the trees.
Jack Elbaum is a high school senior who will attend George Washington University next fall.
