While Standing (Six Feet Apart) on One Foot
March 30, 2020
There are always some silver linings to dark times. When this viral pandemic began, I never thought I would be spending so much time every week with the teens and young adults. And, while it is only online, they have opened up to me and to each other about their disappointments and fears. When they are sad, the class consoles them. When they are disappointed, the class encourages them. The people in my Teen Academy classes have always been and presently are, menchen.
And they are really insightful, too.
Yesterday we met online as we doo each Sunday. Our discussion does not follow any set pattern or lesson plan yet it always finds a direction.
Yesterday the direction took us toward Passover and we spoke about the Hagaddah that each of the students will write when this is over. The Hagaddah Shel Pesach is the story of a journey from slavery to freedom. The Hagaddah Shel Coronavirus is a story from normalcy to fear.
At the center of the Hagaddah are the four children: the wise one, the simple one, the wicked one, the one who does not know how to ask. Someone asked a questions that really got us all thinking and got into a groove that made Hagaddah very real.
They asked ‘who are the four children’ in the Hagaddah of this virus. Though they disagreed with each other at times, their reasons were well thought out. I want to share with you some of their insights:
The Child Who Does Not Know How to Ask:
These are the people who thought themselves invincible and who end up stunned because they are infected with the virus. They did not know to ask themselves what they are doing.
There are others in this drama who didn’t know, either. They are the people who were unsure of what they were seeing when this all started. They did not even know what questions to ponder until things started taking shape.
There are the people who looking into the future with only fear and irrationality. They are not asking questions of hope but rather are quaking with fear.
And, finally, there are those who simply don’t know what is going on: the children who look to their caregivers for security and assurance and who will be the ones reading the Haggadah that is written for them.
The Simple Child
The simple child is the one who cares only for their needs. Interestingly, the class generally agreed that the people who hoard toilet paper are not wicked, but simple. They see only what’s in front of them and are oblivious to anything else.
They believed that the people who did not react are simple. These are the people who felt and still feel invulnerable and who hide behind the wall of religious self-righteousness believing that God will protect them. Their simplicity is getting them sick and getting others sick, too. To the class’s general agreement, those are the dangerously simple.
The Wicked Child
There was a lot of discussion on this one. We had the problem of defining wicked. It’s not so easy in the midst of a pandemic. Do normal societal and social rules apply? Is there something wicked about taking care of yourself and family with any and all means necessary? The questions abounded.
First, they thought that the first wicked thing was the virus itself. There was some dispute about that since the virus is neither good nor bad but simply a small ball of protein around some DNA. It has neither mind nor will. To the class, it may be wicked but it is not evil because evil implies malice.
They did find something they agreed on under the rubric of wicked child: the people who know they have the virus but still don’t care and go out. This extends to the people who force their workers to work despite the danger, who force their students to come to school, who believe themselves impervious to the virus because God will protect them, and those who callously neglect science to go to a party. The students were almost unforgiving and brutal to their peers who put themselves and them in peril. They are a very protective group of teens.
They believed that people that use medical resources even though their complaint is relatively minor were, in some ways, wicked. They clarified that and suggested that selfish is more like it. They abhor such selfishness in this moment of time. They admire selflessness and they are in awe of the doctors and nurses and hospital workers and ambulance drivers and EMTs who are putting their lives on hold and on the line.
Their greatest criticism were for the politicians and wealthy people who complain that their business is hurting, who are waiting for their hand-out and who use this crisis to belittle and exert power over others. In this crisis, they are learning who is a real leader and who is a facade. These are their words.
These are their insights and who was who and who did what and who didn’t do what will be indelibly written in their Hagaddah.
The Wise Child
This one was pretty easy for the class. They appreciated that the government allocated a large sum of money to help those who were struggling.
The ones who are looking for the cure are the wise.
The ones creating a vaccine are the wise.
The ones who challenge those wanting to take advantage of the situation are the wise.
This group of teens sees everything. They can’t be deceived into thinking everything is fine. In that, they are wise. They will exert whatever pressure on their peers to stay safe and to influence those who simple in their approach to this virus or simply don’t know how to ask the right questions.
These students, your children, are leaders of the highest calibre in the making. Their understanding of the world around them, their moral compasses, their determination that this episode will bring out the best in them and their wisdom is an unexpected but welcome bright spot in this pandemic.
My Teen Academy students have already begun writing their Hagaddah and each of us is in it whether we want to be or not. They see everything and they are asking us: ‘How will you lead us? How will you inspire us? How will you disappoint us? How will you frustrate us?’ I pray that we are always for them, our children, beacons of light and hope and truth and respect. This is what they want from us and they deserve no less.
