As I sit to write these words, 34 million Americans have become unemployed over the last 7 weeks—that’s 1 in every 5 workers.
Such pain, heartache, anxiety… I am so sorry for each of you.
Along the way, a new conversation began emerging in public discourse and policy: essential workers and non-essential workers.
Who is an essential worker and who is a non-essential worker? Which businesses and industries are essential and which are not?
Medical experts and political leaders debated these phrases in countless communities around the world—often times arriving at drastically different conclusions.
Regardless of how they ended classifying work in their jurisdiction, “essential” workers were allowed to continue, “non-essential” were asked to stay home.
I fear the fall-out from this type of designation and how “essential” workers have been heralded and praised in every community, while many “nonessential” workers have lost their livelihood at these seemingly arbitrary designations. In some cases, the work being accomplished was identical.
Let me offer some thoughts if you are hurting.
First of all, if you are an essential worker and have been putting yourself out there for our society, thank you. If you have been stocking shelves, driving trucks, packing food, or responding first, thank you for the incredibly hard work and extra hours you have been putting in over the last 7-8 weeks.
But equally important, if your work or business has been classified as nonessential, please know your work is essential to us—even if not classified as such by some.
In almost every case, your work is needed, your talent is appreciated, and your dedication to serving others is required for all of us. Your work, by definition, makes us a better people and a better society. You are essential. And I hope you are back to work soon.
If you think the rush for toilet paper was bad, wait until 300 million Americans try to schedule a haircut at the same time.
And lastly, please know, your work may have been deemed nonessential, but your life is not. You are essential to somebody, every day.
So make the most of every opportunity:
- Care for your body and health.
- Love your spouse.
- Spend time with your children.
- Call your neighbors and friends and extended family.
- Serve the less fortunate.
- Foster your faith.
- Offer hope and life to everyone you see.
Live your life with intention and purpose.
You are important. You are essential to someone. And no one can take that away from you.
Kate Hawes says
Thank you very much for that post. As a violinist in a Symphony Orchestra in the UK, I am definitely non essential and as such have been furloughed. Life for most of the population has become very basic in the last two months, with people concentrating mainly on following the government’s instructions and staying alive. I worry that it will be difficult for us as a society to return to allowing ourselves to enjoy things like life music and theatre without worrying about catching germs from other audience members. My colleagues are generally much more optimistic about the future and I suspect and hope I’m just being pessimistic. I hope people will return to enjoying all the good things in life before they lose them.
On the plus side, I’ve had time to read your book and minimize my house. Great book.
Jill D says
Kate, you and your colleagues are essential to me. I have missed nothing more these weeks/months than my Chamber Music concerts: Rachel Barton Pine, the Pacifica Quartet, Anthony McGill, on and on, all cancelled. Only 2 of this season’s concerts actually took place, and who knows what/whether/when next season will be. Listening to recorded or streaming music is fine, but nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever replace the experience of a live performance by artists like you in front of an eager and appreciative audience. Please know that we miss you and passionately await your return.
Nina S says
Josh, I love you blog and especially this article. We are all essential to someone. There are many people who need to hear this now. Thank you for these kind words! ?Be Well.
John P. Weiss says
Amen, Joshua. We all contribute in different ways.
Jill D says
And I have greatly appreciated your blog posts, John. “Essential” reading to me.
Shelby Adams says
Josh, I’ve been reading your articles for over a year now. Hands down this is the best and most poignant article you’ve written yet. I shall be reading this to my FB audience.
Angeleck Nance says
Thank you, Joshua, for your post this morning! As a schoolteacher, I’m not essential, but to my students with whom I work, I know I am! :) Please keep all of those at home in thoughts and prayers. Thank you again!
Phyllis Quartz says
Good reading ?
Joy says
Thank you! There is a reason for everything and we should focus on our blessings right now.
Gail Major says
Thank you for your kind words.
Melissa says
Thank you for the reminder
Becky says
Joshua- So true. You are such a kind, empathetic and compassionate person. Every one is “essential“ to someone. It’s just like the throwing away of people as they get older. This particular problem has shown me how people in this country truly view aging and when you reach a certain number your value, or use seems to go down.
Lauren Fedyna says
There are plenty of “essential “ workers who aren’t “heralded” and “allowed” to work – they’re FORCED to work and put in danger.
If you’re “essential “ you can’t be furloughed in the U.K. One of the worst things I saw at the start of the pandemic here was ASDA at 6am and watching the unprotected staff desperately trying to do their jobs as 100s and 100s swarmed about and pushed them over & screamed in their faces.
In America, essential workers are a majority black and Latino. They also make up the majority of the cases and the majority of the deaths. Think it’s a coincidence?
I’m a non-essential worker. I manage a jazz club- it’s a luxury and non-essential as a business. So, sadly, are the musicians who play there. We’re all still far luckier than an essential meat packer on minimum wage.
They ARE essential. I don’t believe that by classifying them thus, we should have any hurt feelings about ourselves. The one doesn’t diminish the other. Maybe instead we should be rethinking how we treat them and pay them.
Jill D says
Here in the U.S., I am thinking of and fearful for the workers in the meatpacking plants. Dangerous work in the best of times, potentially fatal in these times. Laying your life and your family’s safety on the line so someone can buy a cheap hamburger at a drive-thru.
Rachel says
THANK YOU – 100% agreed. There has to be some way to designate the category of workers who unfortunately can’t stay home right now, because society can’t afford to lose their services even for a moment (who are putting themselves at great risk, and often have no choice), and those who can and should stay home for the moment, for the greater good, despite the sacrifice that entails. Music feeds the soul, but people will not literally starve or die if the symphony does not perform. The best and most accurate way to describe the classification of worker whose actions fall in the category of literally life-and-death vital – and yes, grocery store workers fall in this category – is “essential.” Pretending the fact that not all workers are being declared “essential” by this narrow definition is some sort of insult is ridiculous and counterproductive.