The following commentary was written by Joel Malick, a colleague of CFB’s state staffers- 

My wife and I are on the leadership team at a local foster care agency here in Colorado Springs, and last night we were having a check-in Zoom call (I’m sure by now everyone knows what Zoom is ).  We spent about 20 minutes going around and saying one good thing and one bad thing about quarantine.  Almost everyone’s response included some version of this; “the best thing about this situation is having time to truly connect with my family.”  For about the first 4 weeks of the crisis, all you could hear and see was fear.  Although fear still exists, I would argue that we’re now starting to see what makes us truly great as a people.  I see families getting back to what’s important.

I see my neighborhood encouraging the placement of stars in windows as a sign of hope.  I see encouraging quotes written with chalk on people’s driveways for those who walk by.  I see people rallying to support their local businesses; not because they need the items but because they want to help.  I listened to a story about leaders in the restaurant community raising funds to provide financial support to those who have lost their jobs.  The list just goes on.  This is the mindset that FDR spoke to during the Great Depression when he said; “the great fact to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward;  that a line drawn through the middle of the peaks and valleys of the centuries always has an upward trend.”

This disease is tragic, not only for the ultimate toll it’s taking on many people’s lives but also because it separates people who are sick from their loved ones and has had a substantial impact on household finances for many.  My sister is an ICU Charge Nurse.  She has a husband and three young children at home but continues to go in and battle this monster with an attitude that would make you want to fight alongside her.  A large portion of her time at work is spent in an unusual way- she’s making phone calls to family members who can’t be beside their loved ones that are suffering and updating them on their status.  I tell you this because I don’t want to downplay the seriousness of this pandemic we’re fighting.  It truly is ruthless.

Both above comments are true.  This thing is nasty and tragic. Yet in the same breath, it’s bringing us all closer to who we want to be in the future…less divided and more united, more aware of the fabric from which we are knitted.

I undoubtedly have greater faith in our collective futures as a people, an economy, and world, than I did before this disease made itself known.  We must hold on to the truth of FDR’s quote and all the history we have to measure… trials don’t destroy us; they only make us stronger.  This is the mindset I want to invest in over the long run.  We will get through this and we’ll be better for it.

– Joel Malick is vice president of investments at Strategic Financial Partners in Colorado Springs where he lives with his wife and four children.