We’ve learned some positive lessons during the pandemic

I recently had a call from the chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, asking if I, as chair of the Ballot Law Commission, thought it was possible to influence or change the votes of presidential electors, assuming they are committed to the winning candidate, but the loser challenges.

The answer, in New Hampshire, is “no.”

But the fact that this, along with all parts of our election system, is being brought into question by the president is disgusting.

This question, along with a lot of the news lately, has caused me to think about our lives in the last six months or so, in this very different pandemic world.

In my case, we were sent home on about March 20 to work remotely. Life as we know it in New Hampshire basically was put on hold, and we were left to experience a new world. Without at all minimizing the pain and suffering of people and businesses put under tremendous economic pressure, having lived in the new world since it started, what has the good news been? (Or, to be trite, what is the “silver lining” to this dark “cloud”?) First, I would imagine, is the professional way in which New Hampshire’s government approached the crisis, especially when compared with the mixed messages coming out of Washington.

Next is the way the nonprofit sector has approached the pandemic. From fear of extinction, our charities have largely experienced a situation in which donors have continued to support them, even increasing charitable giving to those agencies helping the victims of Covid-19.

Many nonprofits have held their events or annual meeting on Zoom or other platforms. The Manchester Chamber held its Citizen of the Year event online and feted the contributions of Peter Ramsey and the Palace Theatre, at the very time its finances and situation were dire. New Hampshire Catholic Charities’ annual meeting allowed viewers from all over the state to experience its achievements.

Organizations like the Girl Scouts have come up with virtual communication means to involve many more in their activities. Churches, relegated to holding worship online, held drive-in services where congregants could experience real, personal worship with fellow members without endangering each other. Organizations which work with the schools, facing the challenges of remote learning, have made great strides helping, against all odds.

People experiencing loss have held virtual memorial services, allowing friends from around the country who otherwise could not have participated, to mourn and share memories. These have been among the best memorial services ever.

Almost all of us, no matter how technology-challenged, have learned how to do our business online, or at least by computer. This, in turn, may have provided education to more people by necessity. Of course, the amount of remote working has made everyone think about what the workplaces of the future will look like, which may have forced “progress” faster than it otherwise would have occurred.

Educators have worked tirelessly to provide education, meals and support to the students and families in our cities, which unlike the smaller towns, experience all of the urban problems of America, even in a supposedly rural state like New Hampshire.

Recent trends of having young and old gravitate to cities have reversed, sending people to the country, with record real estate prices and demand, as people learn they can do much of what they used to think they had to do in the office, from any location (which, of course, makes the availability of high-speed internet imperative).

Finally, and maybe least able to quantify, is the effect of this on families, many of whom previously rushed from place to place, sports event to sports event, trying to provide young people with every advantage. The pandemic put a hold on that, with parents working at home, forcing interaction and slowing things down.

For those lucky enough to know how to handle it, this may have provided these families with the chance to have real interaction, the chance to talk and the bonding experiences past generations had of necessity.

For all the pain, the disruption, the tedium and trouble of 2020, maybe someone out there was just calling a “time out” so we could see what is important.

While no one would have picked this situation, and the human toll has been significant, maybe there have been positive lessons to learn.

Brad Cook is a Manchester attorney. The views expressed in this column are his own. He can be reached at bradfordcook01@gmail.com.