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There’s a forest fire.
It’s bad.
It’s big.
It’s spreading.
You have 10 things at your disposal to control and potentially stop the fire.
How many do you use?
To me, that’s the situation I think we’re living, regardless of how many people I see on my social media going full YOLO and doing everything for selfies on the ‘Gram. For me, I’d like for everyone to use everything available to “stop the fire” but alas, everything continues to get politicized to un-presidented levels. I also continue to see people who insist that this is a hoax, not as bad or similar to the flu, and countless other rationalizations to do what they want. Meanwhile, I have a friend who just lost his sister in law, another friend who lost a cousin two weeks ago, and another friend whose father’s condition was fragile and unfortunately passed away last week because of complications after COVID-19. That’s three people in the last two weeks that I know to some degree. It isn’t some random story, it isn’t a fake news story, it’s not a statistic I can’t put a face to, it’s people related to people I know. And they’re not the first.
I’m happy that some people still have the luxury of thinking this is all bullshit. That means it hasn’t hit them or anyone they care about. For me, I attended a virtual wake a couple of months back because another friend of mine’s mother passed away from complications with COVID-19. I also know other people who actually got a positive diagnosis, came out relatively well, and are still going out in large gatherings because the attitude is that life continues. It’s a sentiment that although I understand to a certain degree in other aspects of life, I can’t say I agree with in this particular scenario.
In my case, I got the flu in November of last year and actually had pneumonia a couple of years back, so if I’m a bit overboard with my precautions, it has everything to do with coughing until I vomit, can barely breathe, and knowing what it feels like to cough up blood from either ruptured capillaries in my throat/airway or actual pneumonia, which translates into inflamed lungs that did a bit of hemorrhaging. Luckily we caught it in time and rest and treatment helped. Trust me though, you never want to get a call from a doctor saying, “go get a CT-Scan right now because we don’t know what we’re seeing on your X-ray.” I got that call so that’s where I’m operating from.
For 2020 every time I go out, I use a face mask and the aroma of ethyl alcohol is never far away after touching any surface. Some people might call that overkill, but hey, I’m also thinking about my fellow human because I don’t care what your race, religion, ethnicity, first language, education level, gender, or political preference is, I want to exercise caution because I want you to be OK too…and this somehow makes me a coward to some, a sheep to others, and an asshole to many.
To offer a small summary of behaviors I’ve seen this year:
- I know people who have posted fake cards stating that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) they are not required to use face masks. (Click HERE for the link to the official government response to this practice. If that's not enough, here's ANOTHER link)
- I know people who call me out on my fear, shame me, and double down saying they won’t use a face mask because it’s unconstitutional.
- I know people who share conspiracy theories about how this is all a plot against the president.
- I know people who say it goes against their faith to use a face mask and because of their beliefs, they are protected.
So of course, I’m the asshole.
Unfortunately, none of that matters if you draw the short end of the COVID stick.
At the end of the day, I’m as frustrated as I am disappointed that people continue to think that a virus and its spread is impacted by anyone’s opinion. For me, if there are 20 things we can do to end this once and for all, let’s do all 20 and find 3 more. For a lot of people, they’re like nah, doesn’t apply to me. Or "since only liberals/democrats use face masks so clearly, I don’t need to use one, because I’m immune thanks to...." whatever thing they come up with. Beyond being a bad decision, I think it’s completely irresponsible and borderline asiten. (You see, asinine is defined as something extremely foolish and stupid. Asi-ten is a notch above asinine, such as saying things like, “don’t be afraid of COVID.”) It’s also super childish because you are asked kindly to exercise caution and think of others, yet a LOT of people react by throwing a hissy-fit. Also, and let's be clear on this, it isn’t fighting for your rights. It's a hissy-fit. It’s being childish, whiney, and you deserve some antibac timeout time along with whatever reality check you need.
I'm sure there are many comments in this post that will rub some people the wrong way and I get that. I also expect that some people I know will take particular offense because they feel I’m talking about them…and unfortunately, I possibly am. But I don’t feel the need to pick a fight on their social media or waste my time sending a private message asking for them to be careful and exercise caution. So I write a blog post to try and sort through the feelings of impotence and frustration, of worry and resentment. That’s because I have several friends who work in hospital and healthcare scenarios and they are drained, scared, frustrated, and angry. I’ve seen people I know closing a body bag in news reports. I recognize them from their glasses, eyes, or birthmarks and because I ask them if that’s them in the picture and up to now, I’m up to 3 times I’ve seen people I know in a picture in a news article. I’ve seen others passed out on hospital chairs because they haven’t had a break in weeks/months. I see doctors I know personally urging people to exercise caution because this is real and it’s unlike anything they’ve seen before.
But then I see politicians politicizing things that need not be politicized, capitalizing on a message that will get hits and views and ratings but that can cost lives and divide rather than unite for the common good. Because they know the narrative will get the results they want (VOTES), regardless of the cost (LIVES).
I have no idea until when this will last, but I do know a solution is not one inch closer thanks to people who actively work against efforts and progress. All I know is that there is a fire.
It’s bad.
It continues to spread.
It’s flaring back up.
And I wonder what it will take for everyone to get on the same page, leave our differences to one side, and give our best to care for each other if only to hate each other another day.
Until then, be kind, wear a mask, be considerate, and as always…
Peace, love, and maki rolls
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