A letter May 12 argued for people to return to work (Reader’s View: “ Those not susceptible need to get back to work” ). It explained that “simplifying the crisis by suggesting it’s lives vs. money is naive” because the human interaction that comes with a job and livelihood gives a sense of worth and well-being.
It is still morally wrong to believe that one’s life is more important than another’s. Though there may the issues of worth and well-being without a job, those issues do not make it right to put another person’s life at risk. One’s life is no less important than another’s feeling of poor well-being.
COVID-19 is very different from influenza. There is also very little known about the long-term effects of COVID-19. There would be many more cases of COVID-19 than there are now if it wasn’t for the social distancing that was put into place.
It is a fact that living has risks, but in our society we have taken many measures to minimize the risks associated with life. If we can help save the lives of others, why would we not? Social-distancing rules do not mean no human interaction. It is important to check in with family and loved ones while still following social-distancing rules. A job is not all that matters in terms of providing moral worth to someone’s life. Not all moral worth or meaning should stem from the economy or from work.
Of course there will be a significant impact on the economy because of this pandemic, but it is still not worth the life of anyone just to return to work as normal.
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Jeremy Brovan
Rochester, Minnesota
