The world has asked much of us over the last few months. We had to stop traveling. We had to shut down our businesses. We had to take our kids out of school.

More was asked of some. Doctors worked round-the-clock shifts. Businesses closed forever. All their employees lost their jobs. (The Chronicle posts lists of restaurants that will not reopen). How are all these people supposed to pay their rent?

A very close friend posted about what is still asked of us. Judge James Horwitz argues,

A version of ‘personal responsibility’ that looks like ‘I’ll take responsibility for my risk, and you take responsibility for your risk,’ … neglects the reality of a pandemic. Responsibility may be personal— but risk is communal. Everyone can both get sick with the virus and pass it on to someone else. A person who gets infected while packed into an overcrowded bar can pass the disease to a supermarket cashier who is otherwise steadfastly avoiding high-risk situations. A healthy young person whose sense of personal responsibility leaves him comfortable spending a leisurely evening in a bustling restaurant can infect a roommate who works in a nursing home.”

Why are we asked to wear surgical or face masks in public, to practice social distancing, and to observe self-quarantines? Because these practices are not for us as individuals alone, but for the protection of others.

So, it’s a test of our character. I hate character tests. I never quite measure up.

But, I’m trying. In the face of all of this, I’m trying to think of others first. It’s easier when you see someone out and about with scared eyes who might be more vulnerable. Those eyes remind me to care, not for myself or my own cynical opinions, but for that one. The stranger.