Coronavirus in Jordan: A Lesson For America

Think of this scenario for a moment. You and some friends go to a museum and stumble across a painting. It is abstract, with the description only stating the name of the artist and the year of the painting’s creation. You stand there with your friends pondering over what it could actually mean. And then you share your ideas of its meaning with each other. Not surprisingly, there is a difference in opinion, a very stark difference in opinion. That is because we as humans are unique creatures with various ideologies who interpret and handle obstacles differently. It is no surprise then that on a macro level, we are handling the current global pandemic differently.

I live in the United States. In the Detroit area to be more specific. My father lives in Jordan, one of the poorest countries in the world. The other night we were messaging about the way that the countries that we live in have been responding to the outbreak of COVID-19. What he described to me was a commentary on how culture and priority reflect the way that our collective societies handle crisis. I’d like to share what he is experiencing.

Here in the US, it seems that much of the virus has been politicized. Media outlets have been spinning the narrative since late January. The current White House administration has been seen lashing out at reporters, declaring states of emergency…