The second “more mystery” is the reality that a loss is more than a loss.

During this time there has been so much loss.  So much tragedy.  So much sadness.  The nightly news gives a rundown of how many people have been infected, how many beds are filled in hospitals and more tragic, how many people have died that day.

Then they turn to the business front and give a report or two on how businesses are doing.  Often there is a live report from some small business is impacted, losing money or even closing.  Lost income, lost jobs, lost business, lost financial support, and lost American dream.

The problem is, we’ve heard of so much loss, it has become just a statistic and we’re kind of numb to it.  Some of us, just can’t listen anymore, it’s too heartbreaking.  So, we shut off the news and close our eyes. 

But these losses are more than a statistic. I know that is obvious, yet, what does a loss represent? The human toll is setting a tsunami of sadness over the land.  Let me just start with the category my wife and I are in, parents and grandparents.  Yes, grandparents die every day, but with this virus, it seems they are a key target.  So, what does a loss of a grandparent mean?  

Loss of your parents, parents.  Loss of tradition. Loss of legacy. Loss of stories. Loss of connection to the past.  Loss of history. Loss of an abundance of unconditional love. 

And then there are the businesses that are shutting down, and those that are hanging on by their fingernails.  This so sad.  The American Dream seems to be slipping away at breakneck speed.  Some downtown streets look more like a ghost town than a beehive of activity.  Office towers are virtually empty as people have been sequestered to their homes.  Every day as I peruse LinkedIn, is see people I’m connected to looking for their “next venture, opportunity, or next journey.”  

The loss of a business is so much more than a loss of a business.  It means loss of income for tens of thousands of individuals.  Mortgages they can’t pay.  Struggling to put food on the table.  Loss of confidence. Loss of a positive self-image. Loss of direction. Loss of pride (not the negative kind, but pride in accomplishment, pride in being able to help others). Loss of hope.

And when we lose hope, we lose courage.  When we lose courage, we lose the energy to struggle to achieve.  It is an exponential loss that is beyond our comprehension. 

As we see businesses struggle all around us, let’s appreciate businesses more, especially the small businesses. Let’s do everything we can to support them, even save them.