How Strong Are We?

"Boo-hoo!"

I'm confused over so many of the messages being thrown at us by people in positions of power concerning this pandemic. President Trump, rich guy Mark Cuban, Governor Andrew Cuomo, befuddled Joe Biden, and now even football star Tom Brady have asserted that, "Americans are strong. We will get through this. We always do." Tell that to the 2,229 Americans who have died from COVID-19 in recent weeks.

The truth is we don't always get through. Some of us do, but others don't. And since when are Americans so strong? Are the following statistics a sign of our strength? "In 2018 in America, there were 48,344 recorded suicides, up from 42,773 in 2014, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). On average, adjusted for age, the annual U.S. suicide rate increased 24% between 1999 and 2014, from 10.5 to 13.0 suicides per 100,000 people, the highest rate recorded in 28 years." --Wikipedia

Or how about this from a 2018 article? "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the United States, according to a new analysis of federal data. Some 15.5 million Americans have been taking the medications for at least five years. The rate has almost doubled since 2010, and more than tripled since 2000."- The New York Times

Or this, from the CDC? "From 1999–2000 through 2017–2018, the prevalence of U.S. obesity increased from 30.5% to 42.4%, and the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death."

See why I'm confused? Seems to me we have more in common with The Cowardly Lion than we'd care to admit.