Legislatively Speaking
By Senator Lena C. Taylor
Lena C. Taylor
The coronavirus pandemic is going to reveal who we are. Some of us will emerge as leaders and for others, “the pressure is going to bust some pipes.” I know that sounds odd. I remember thinking exactly that the first time I heard the phrase.
Particularly, when you add the later phrase, “but pressure makes diamonds.”
I learned this saying a while ago and attribute it to a combination of quotes from Diana Ross and San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Gary Johnson. In a 1971 interview, Ross was asked about the difficulty of remaining a successful and she responded,
“Pressure made the diamond.” Fourteen years later, Johnson in reference to pressure being applied to the quarterback of an opposing team said, “And pressure busts pipes, you know.” They likely weren’t the first to utter the phrases, but they are the reason I remember them.
Simply put, pressure and stress will make you or break you. For example, 9/11 tested our resolve as a nation. Yet, many of us watched those attacks, on our nation, from the safety of our homes. We were far removed from New York or Washington D.C. COVID-19 has shattered boundaries, ethnic lines, socioeconomic divides and political ideology. Every state, in our union, is in this fight. Unlike a plane headed our way, we can’t see this enemy. Its targets are iconic and small, taking lives well lived to those just beginning. It has pitted neighbor against neighbor and state against state. Everyone poses a threat and yet, everyone can be of help.
Whether a 10-year old girl making masks for first responders or nurses holding the hand of someone while they transition this life, our response makes all the difference. We are being tested. We are being forced to be innovative and rely on the kindness of others. We are deciding not to sit idly by, while others need help. We are pushing ourselves to face our fears, walking into the fire because even the firefighters need aid. Everyday people are showing up under the pressure and threat of coronavirus.
We have learned that our lives are like pipes, intersecting in a multitude of both simple and complex ways. We realize that every job is important, from the gas attendant to the surgeon.
Urban city or rural farm, we have been reminded that we need each other to survive. While breathing in hot air, from mask covered mouths, we think about ventilators. We wonder who might lose today. We are chastised about how seriously we have taken preparation. We acknowledge that we have rested on our laurels. But in the midst of it all, we hear about research, a new vaccine, and we remember that pressure made the diamond.