Who Deserves What?

At our micro level most of us have a sense these days that "we are all in this together." We can't help it; it's the way we are living now.
But at the macro level pandemics like we are experiencing can and should change our big picture view. The issue is justice: who deserves what in our society. This question plays a big part in the current discussion on inequality
Michael Sandel teaches on this subject at Harvard. I recommend his work. Here is part of his article in today's NY Times.

Many of the essential workers during this crisis are performing jobs that do not require college degrees; they are truckers, warehouse workers, delivery workers, police officers, fire fighters, utility maintenance workers, sanitation workers, supermarket cashiers, stock clerks, nurse assistants, hospital orderlies and home care providers. They lack the luxury of working from the safety of their homes and holding meetings on Zoom. They, along with the doctors and nurses caring for the afflicted in overcrowded hospitals, are the ones who are putting their health at risk so the rest of us can seek refuge from contagion. Beyond thanking them for their service, we should reconfigure our economy and society to accord such workers the compensation and recognition that reflects the true value of their contributions — not only in an emergency but in our everyday lives.