Rant #2,450: Who's Zoomin' Who?

So many things have changed related to this pandemic period that we are in that is there any reason to to believe that things will get back to "normal" any time soon?

When will social distancing be just a bad memory? When will wearing masks be just a major element of that bad memory?

I just mentioned to my wife the other day that will there be a time that we are perhaps cleaning out the drawers of our dressers, and we come across a faec mask way deep down in that drawer, and we thinl, "Oh ... remember when we had to wear one of these things?" and stuff it back into that drawer, hopefully never to be seen again.

Well, that day won't come until we beat this thing, and the only real way to beat this thing is to come up with a serum that will eradicate the virus, just like we have for polio and the measles.

We have been told by officials at every level of government that that time is coming soon, when the availability of various drug or drugs to stem this disease will be here and be available.

With the entire world seemingly working on this thing--not just here but in England, Italy, Israel and several other countries--this is not a competition, this is a necessity.

No one really cares who comes out first at the finish line; it is more important that some company, anywhere, comes up with something that will work to rid us of this scourge.

Now, the availability of a serum doesn't really mean that this thing will just leave us; it will always be there. But at least this "cure" will be there for the taking ... that is if people want to take the injection or the pill or whatever it is that is being developed.

We already know that there are people in this country and this world who will refuse to take the cure, and they will refuse it on various grounds.

This has happened with measles, which we surely could have completely eradicated, but because of stubborn people who will simply not take the cure, we see measles outbreaks pop up from time to time.

Nobody wants the measles. I had it as a kid, and no, you do not want the measles, take it from me. What little I remember is horrible, and I am sure that coronavirus survivors can tell you the same thing, particularly those who had to be hospitalized and somehow came out of this in one piece.

So that being said, how do we handle this environment that we are in?

Well, let's be honest about it, we really don't handle anything; the better word would be to adapt to what is on the plate now, try to maneuver around what we cannot do and make things as good as we possibly can make them under terrible circumstances.

And that is where Zoom comes in.

Zoom was a little known was a little known videoconferencing application that had been around for seven years--since 2013--but has become a major tool for connecting with people since the pandemic began in earnest earlier this year.

People use it for everything: speaking with co-workers, speaking with clients, and even teachers going through their lessons with their students. Friends connect on Zoom, even make new friends on the app, and this thing that was virtually unknown just a few months ago has sprung into major action when we needed it to.

The other day, I actually was invited to and attended a bris of my friend's grandson.

If you don't know what a bris is, it is a Jewish circumcision ceremony, and while nerve racking for parents--been there, done that--it is actually a joyous celebration of a newborn Jewish male. The procedure takes maybe a minute as done by a mohel (pronounced "moil"), and once it is over, most times you can party like it is, well, 1999.

Anyway, things are way different today, and I was honored to be asked to attend this ceremony via Zoom. Many family members attended, or course, but also some other friends of mine, and I am happy to report that everything went well.

We all said "Mazel Tov," and before we knew it, it was over.

In other times, that would mean "party hearty," but in these times, that just meant that the hosts said goodbye and ended the Zoom meeting.

It is quite a different way to do these things, but it is better than nothing, and hopefully, by the time the boy grows up, he and his parents and grandparents will be able to say, "Remember how we had to do this way back when?"

But like I said, when something like what we are going through happens, you simply have to adapt, and whatever its limitations are, Zoom is a way to make a bad situation a little bit better.

Me, I still have no idea how to launch a Zoom meeting, although I have been told that it is as easy to do as can be.

Maybe one day I will figure it out.

Millions of other people have, so maybe I can too.

At the very least, I know it is at my disposal if I would ever really need it.

So, "Who's Zoomin' Who?"

You might be surprised ... or you might not.