THROWAWAY PEOPLE

     All sorts of new and/or revived phrases have come about as a result of the pandemic. According to sources, one of the ways we might beat this thing into a kind of submission is to wait for "teflon people", people who had the virus, recovered and are now immune. This is when 60-80% of the population has been hit and recovered, but no one really knows if these newly termed teflon people are really teflon. This is so mysterious a disease that questions arise daily about its survival, its strength, its conferring - or not - of immunity upon its victms, even how to take advantage of this immunity should it actually be.
      Plasma straws of recovered sufferers are being used for those in bad shape. Wacky medicines are being thrown at it in the wild hope of just finding not a cure, but at least a treatment to alleviate the suffering and aid recovery. But truly and honestly, we will need a vaccine to do the trick and that is a great big step to climb, for even with one, the amount of doses needed is staggering, just mind boggling.
     Here is where the throwaway people come in. Who are they? These are people who are the little people, the unimportant people, those who live out their lives without big achievements, without changing the world, simply living, working, and hopefully having a loving family. But these everyday people age. This is normal. They have other issues. That, too, is normal. But what is not normal is the fact that for once, in a truly big way, the USA is at a loss. There simply is not enough equipment to go around, so, some will die. Who is to die? The medical personnel make that choice, but the obvious answer is there - the 20 yr. old or the 75 year old with three other conditions? The 50 year old with the big name or the 50 year old plain old shnook. The answer is obvious, is it not. We throw away those we cannot save, right or wrong or the one who will use up more desperately thin on the ground resources.
      There are more of these throwaways. Stay at home we are told but what does one do when there is no home to stay in other than a cardboard box or a tent if one is lucky, or perhaps a car within which to shelter. What do we do with them? How do we protect them? The answer is that we do not. They are throwaways, plain and simple.
     Multiply these people here, in the thousands, by multiples beyond belief as we take in the rest of the world, countries such as India, Pakistan, China, countries where the populations are so large with so many homeless and/or crowded together that social distancing is not a concept of reality for much of the population. Until we reach some kind of treatment or cure, until we finally have the necessary supplies, until we set up enough hospitals in parks, arenas, conference centers, stock them fully, with lavish hands, there is nothing to be done. Throwaway people indeed.
     That is why we must be so careful. We must understand that all these throwaways are not things but someone's grandparents, siblings, coworkers down on their luck, and simply people. Yet what else is there to do? There is that concept of triage in dire situations and I, for one, even being a throwaway, do not see a way out of it, at least until time passes and we correct the errors that led to this, we fill all supply needs, and develop a vaccine that works and is plentiful in supply. That, my friends, will take at least until Spring, 2021, if by then and until then, life will be changed.
     When will we go back to normal? Truly? Never. I believe that we will learn that we need to temper our lives now in new ways. We need to somehow limit the petri dishes of crowds, limit size. We need to instill some new thoughts on proper living, help people understand that when they flout the rules, thinking they are oh so clever, they are actually turning themselves into murderers. Yes, you read that correctly. The contagion they encourage will hit some people who have done nothing except have the bad luck to cross paths with them somewhere in time and place and then die from that 'gift', that unwanted and dangerous gift. This is thoughtless, selfish behavior with permanent consequence.
     What to do now? First, censor or ban those daily fool shows wherein the American public is given lies, false information with truth being nowhere in sight. These are not news briefings but rallies in disguise, rallies for the ignorant,  for the willingly led people who lean on a damaged man. Yes, Mr, Trump, this is not the flu and do you not think it is time you stopped with that comparision? Is it not time that you actually spoke up and admitted your confusion, your ignorance, your poor planning, your reactive rather than proactive behavior? As for thinking? Well, we cannot expect miracles, can we?!
     Society is  and never has been perfect. The ideal, the Utopia of Greek philosphers or the utopian dreams of social rebels of broken societies, will never be reached even as we strive ever closer towards that goal. We need to understand that. We need to understand the role of society in our lives, the need for physical closeness, the freely given hug, the kiss of affection, the hand of a grandchild within that of the grandparent, but we must also realize that if we do not demand anything of society in good years, then we will be lost when they disappear. It is a concept that we can find in the Bible, when Joseph, a throwaway prisoner of the Pharaoh, explained the ominous dream of Pharaoh and introduced the economic concept of preparation, of good times being the basis of better times in bad years. It is simple, but when there is a foolish and ignorant person at the helm, well, there is nothing to say. The problem and the harsh truth is right there, is it not?
     In the meanwhile, we, the throwaways and the not throwaways, must cooperate, for if we do not work together, we will most assuredly die alone and separate. It is that simple. Heed the instructions, write your reps in DC, vote the correct choice in November. Above all - be well, be safe.