Americans are newly discovering their ability for shared sacrifice in the name of the good of all. Now, this isn't universal -- disasters tend to bring out both the best and the worst in us, it seems -- but it is pretty close to universal in the areas hardest hit. Life has changed, in major ways. Daily routines have been obliterated. We all have to protect ourselves and in doing so protect each other as well. This has meant radical changes in the way we interact with each other which will likely be with us for months, if not years. What I find interesting is that we're shouldering the burdens -- so far -- about as well as can be expected.

I'm not talking about the politicians and the other people in charge of the response -- for once, this isn't a political column. I'm talking instead about average people and how they've been reacting and changing as a result of the pandemic. Because America just hasn't seen this sort of widespread change in attitude for a very long time -- perhaps since World War II.

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"April is the cruelest month" begins T. S. Eliot's famous poem "The Waste Land," which is why it seems particularly appropriate to quote right now. You'll doubtless be hearing this line again throughout the month, for obvious reasons. But while contemplating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic during April is indeed beyond sobering, what we should all be hoping for is that Eliot's line does indeed prove prophetic. Because the alternative is even worse -- that April will only be a preamble to even worse news in May and beyond.

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