Pride, Going Before

IT IS REASONABLE, if not urgently necessary, to inquire why the United States is the world's epicenter for Covid 19, with at least one third of the world's illnesses and at least one third of the world's death's from the virus. The one certainty, the one indisputable fact is that the reason has to do with the behavior of the American people and the American government, rather than any circumstance or force beyond american control. I've never traveled outside the United States. my knowledge of foreign cultures comes from television, history and sociology books, and perhaps most importantly from people who have come here from other countries and blessed my life with their friendship, and information about their country's culture. It has always impressed me how nice, friendly, and intelligent foreigners are, especially people from oriental countries. And when I compare the personalities of visitors with those of teh many Americans I know, one fact stands out; people from foreign countries tend, almost invariably, to be humble compared to Americans, who by comparison seem arrogant.Almost every time I don't like one of my fellow Americans, my complaint is that the person is unfriendly, arrogant, or both. this seems to be my standard complaint. It has been said that we only see those qualities in others which we possess ourselves; maybe I am the unfriendly arrogant one. I can only hope not. my theory is that the reason why the United States is the viral epicenter of the world is that we the American people are victims of our own arrogance. We simply have too much pride and arrogance to submit ourselves to the necessary behavior to defeat a virus. we'll be damned if we'll give up our o=social lives just because some damned expert says its the right thing to do. It is a demonstrable fact that Americans have done rather well at social distancing and self quarantining; but not nearly as well as places like India and china. In India, with its more than a billion people, the virus has killed only about three thousand people, and has made only about thirty thousand people sick. Thirty thousands Americans are getting sick - every day. In China, similar numbers. Huge population, low rates of sickness and death. The Indian and Chinese peoples, notoriously humble, complying to the letter with social distancing demands and self quarantining, and getting the fruits of there good behavior. We Americans just cannot stand to cooperate and to take orders.The results are obvious. Vice President Pence visits the Mayo clinic, and in a room full of masked medical professionals, is bald faced, maskless. Amid the national uproar he defends his masklessness, rather than simply admitting his error, and promising to correct his mistake, which would have been so easy, so obvious, and so gracious. pride goeth before a fall.