....the more things remain the same. Right and wrong. We need to add in another factor. Yes, things seem to replicate themselves. We appear to move from crisis to crisis with barely breathing room between, yet there are differences. For some, we seem to have an answer or an approach that works, at least to an extent. However, for others, well, as one elderly acquaintance told me, "Nobody knows nuttin'!" And ain't that the truth!
Every year it seems as if we have some health crisis, be it SARS, MERSA, another form of the flu, a fungus in the hospitals, and now COVID-19. Signs are often similar but require some different treatments and some have none other than supportive measures. What is really of interest to me is the description of those to whom the virus is most deadly - elderly, chronic conditions and compromised immune systems. Hello, me!!
Okay, so I, and many others, have no death wish at this particular moment, but I bet most people who fit this description are breathing a sigh of relief as they think of their children and grandchildren. Most of them are thankfully, in better health than we are and if somebody has got to go, well, the words speak for themselves, do they not? Sounds funny, but it is a more natural process of selection, is it not? So yes, we have made preparations, bought paper items, cleaning goods, staples of food, wipes, etc. just as if we are preparing for hurricane times so the actions were not weird, just a tad earlier than we normally do these things. But the questions and emails went almost non stop to the kids, urging them to take measures. And, as usual, they listened with haf a mind, no surprise, correct?!
So now what? Are we going to shut down the world? Have we reached an apocalyptic moment? Are we going to see armored cars, motorcycle gangs roaming a deserted earth, seeking control of the last food warehouse around? Are we looking to see TV and movie stories in real life? Is this to be a time when we have the need and the opportunity to revamp and rebuild society in a better manner?
I think not. I do think this thing will spread and I do think that states with larger than normal elderly populations will see more deaths, but I also know that when pushed, humans can be amazing and an answer can be found - I hope. But this is a message to us. We need to focus on the truly important and we need to pick and follow leaders who have more sense, more knowledge, more ability, to lead us into a future fraught with the unknown and the dangerous. We are living in times where science fiction and fantasy are coming alive and we need to deal with it.
Remember the scenes in shows wherein huge swarms of ugly, frightening drones swoop down on the rebels fighting for freedom, and the rebels shoot at the drones but mostly run from them? Well, read of the mass of killer drones sent in by Trukey, into Syria, against Russian forces and please, tell me you shudder, with fright, with a bitter sense of waste, as we spend money to destroy, to follow a scorched earth behavior, rather than use that ingenuity and energy to fight the ills and the wrongs of human life, the need to fix the earth, to deal with melting ice caps, with growing shortages of food and clean water, but we do not. Instead, we waste it all and personally, I see no end in sight.
We have an overgrown, tantrum throwing, demented person running for office who keeps the barriers low, who seeks to find a low base to support him, to keep up the level of smoldering unhappiness and angst and should he lose, which oh, please, let that happen, what will be then? That sense of uncertainty, that sense of not knowing exactly what to expect as normal behavior seems to have fled the planet, well, that is grinding away at our souls, at our need to know what is what. We need to find people who do know something, who remember what it is to be a public servant, who remember that the wrongs, ills and evils of society are not meant to be replicated, but rather fought against and defeated.
So let us pray. Let us work our fingers to the bone. Let us hope and wish and plead and do whatever we must if we are to change the path of this earth, wobbly on its axis, bring it round to a point wherein we can actually see hope, see a more civilized behavior and attitude towards and with others. Whatever metaphor you prefer, be it a clock ticking, the hands moved to a danger point, or sands running quickly through an hourglass, or dangerous sci-fi images breaking into reality on a broken planet - whatever - we need to build and project a brighter future where dangers such as COVID-19 are able to be mastered, where plans are laid for defense, for cures, for true societal needs - for a future! Please, somebody somewhere know somethin'! Soon!` We are so looking for a person to trust, but let us please, be careful in whom we place that trust. The wrong person is existentially dangerous to us. At least let us know that about life and let us begin with the right first steps. Vote for the person who puts our needs ahead of his/her personal ones, who looks after the nation ad not his/her own wallet. We know who that is, so let us do the right thing and hope we are not too late.
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