As I talk with people in recent days, I sense a sort of amorphous fear underlying every conversation. People try to be chipper, to stay on message, but everyone knows what is nagging at the edges.
Nobody knows what is going to happen with the coronavirus. People obsessively look at the news, pore over those world maps with the little colored dots on them, and hold hushed conversations.
The outbreak is already a terrible tragedy — every senseless death is a tragedy. But the potential is there for a much larger tragedy.
We need to not let this overwhelm us, and of course we should hope for the best. But we also need to be prepared. And when it counts, we will need to remember to help each other.