Up the Down Staircase: A Change in Direction

       Dazed and confused, are you? This is likely due to a large degree to the dizzying array of changes in the way we normally experience activities of daily living (ADL's) concurrent with the pandemic so far this year. For many of us, it's as if the world has been turned upside down, at least sideways (July 3rd: "The global economic crisis has managed to turn stock exchanges worldwide on their head"). Indeed, one does not have to look far in any direction to see tangible evidence.

       Witness, for example, a simple trip to a convenience store (or what used to be convenient, eh?), where a sign previously greeting us "no masks allowed" (usually around Halloween) has been altered slightly--"no one allowed in without a mask" (or shirt or shoes, of course). Then there's the arrows in every other aisle indicating "One Way Only", so many it reminds me of my college town when trying to find a parking space on a football Saturday! Of course, how can I forget the now ubiquitous "Stand Here" signs which someone listening to Anthony Fauci and Friends capitalized on to make millions of floor stickers overnight. All this in an apparent attempt to maximize our safety and even sustain our enjoyability of shopping in these stressful times (remember when a trip to the grocery store was a mundane, ho-hum experience?). 

       Such signs and associated 'changes in directions' have actually been with us for decades, utilized by some of the most successful, even 'family friendly' organizations. Consider, for example, the science behind the crowd management of Disney World, including the genius of those 'zig zag' ropes that give the most impatient toddler the illusion they are constantly moving forward. Then there's the 'Fast Passes" to maximize your daily enjoyment (and minimize chaos for the employees). In contrast, I have visited a few store chains (the names of which I withhold to protect the innocent) that apparently get a kick out of watching bewildered 'guests', as they don't even offer a "Line Begins Here" sign (I have given up asking employees the rationale as they seem equally as bewildered). Locally, there are also several schools that began incorporating Up and Down staircases as well as a line down the middle of hallways to alleviate congestion (now to minimize 'COVID collision courses'). 

       In moments of sardonic humor, I have mused what would happen if our Task Force issued a recommendation for yet another change in direction, such as widening (or narrowing in the case of Sweden) our personal distancing. A scene from the 1978 "Midnight Express" provides a hint. Starring Brad Davis, an antiquated prison in Turkey (in which he finds himself after attempting to transport illegal drugs home to the U.S.) features a particularly dank room where prisoners incessantly circle a pillar in one direction. Look what happens when Davis decides he's had enough and counters the direction (put me on 'pause' and watch on You Tube here), receiving the wrath of his fellow prisoners for provoking such a culture clash. Scenes from the 2004 award winning film "Crash" also fit well here. Foreshadowing of our own growing inclinations?

       So, how do we best cope with such an array of changes in direction that have been so suddenly and sometimes rudely thrust upon us? Stay tuned for the next post here.