In Acadiana We Lift Each Other Up [OPINION]

As I scrolled through social media this week, it added to the sadness of everything we are already dealing with. There is so much division and blaming. That is not what we are in Acadiana. The Acadiana I know is our community standing by each other through difficult times. If someone is going through trying times, we always want to help. When my son Christian died it was astounding to me how many people reached out and comforted me. When CJ’s daughter, Brittni, was diagnosed with cancer, the entire community reached out to him and comforted him. When the Grand Theater tragedy happened, we all came together to support. When we have a hurricane and people's homes are flooded, we come together. The panic and chaos that is going on in the world right now with Coronavirus is definitely out of control. And unfortunately, Louisiana has a growing number of positive cases which is causing our communities to prepare for something that we’ve never encountered.

I am seeing blame and theories everywhere I turn. Some are saying it’s political because of election year. Some are saying the media is to blame. Those assumptions actually cause more division. They don’t help the actual problem. We can only work with facts. The fact is, we have a pandemic. Covid-19 is a strain of the coronavirus and we’ve never dealt with it before. There is no vaccine. A vaccine could take up to a year or longer. The government is making decisions based on the overall well-being of our country/state/communities.  The media has to relay the information to you so you’ll know. The media's job is to give you all of the information. It’s simple. How you handle it, is on you.

Maybe you agree with the decisions being made. Maybe you don't and think it's ridiculous. The bottom line is, leaders are voted in to make the calls. Think back to Katrina. They mandated everyone evacuate. Those that didn’t were stuck. Many died. They’re mandating that we ban gatherings of 250 or more people. They’re asking for social distancing. This is to prevent the U.S. from becoming what China was and Italy is now. Maybe it’s the right call. Maybe it’s not. But, it’s the call and we should follow through with it. Just like a family, parents lead the children and make the calls. Whether it’s the right call and everyone's happy in the end, or it’s the wrong call and the parent apologizes to the child, it’s still the parent’s call and the children should follow their orders.

To go back to where I started with all of this, let’s get back to lifting each other up, Acadiana. We are a close-knit community and we all see the same things on social media. Instead of blaming and complaining, let’s start giving tips, motivation, and positive thoughts. Let's encourage shopping local, let's post funny jokes and memes, and let's not panic. Let's all follow orders and hope this is over soon.  This is the last thing any of us want. But, it is what it is, no matter what. We can't change what's happening. But, we can change our attitude toward it.