Observations From the Spectrum

The good, the bad and the ugly about Coronavirus and the Global Pandemic in reverse order from a bit despondent to a message of angst hope.  As Coronavirus makes its way to the far corners of the world, every person is being confronted with the stark reality that death is a part of life.  The question then becomes ‘What would you die for?’

The ugly truth is this.  One, Coronavirus will not be a one off.  This is Mother Nature doing her thing. It was bound to happen and as the Earth’s fragile ecosystem is being threatened, Mother Nature will continue to fight back in order to survive.  Her easiest targets are the one’s doing the most harm and that is us, the less people, the less harm. So do not think Coronavirus is the virus to end all viruses, it is simply not just like World War I was not the war to end all wars.  The next was worse.

The bad is simple.  As we confront death, we begin to understand the importance of life, what we will die for and what it means to be a citizen of our given nation.  Today, all leaders are in the midst of tough decisions. They are literally deciding what is an acceptable amount of human casualties to give to Coronavirus to save their nation’s economy.  Every leader is making this decision. People need to work for a nation to move forward in the modern world. Part of being a citizen is understanding what place you have at the table. Are you the King or Queen?  A Rook or Knight or Bishop? Or just a pawn. Most of us are pawns plain and simple. Our lives are important to those around us but not much farther than that.  

So onto the good, I do not like to dwell in the harsh realities of the world. I prefer to accept them like a cancer patient accepts their diagnosis and move on to a message of hope and change.  2020 is off to a shaky start and the leader of my country asked with indifference and lack of empathy ‘What was I willing to give up for my country?’ Truth is, I do not have much but when he asked, it was clear that he was asking about who we would allow to die.  COV hits the elderly population the hardest and are we willing to allow them to be at the Frontline. My answer is no. Partly because my mom would be a casualty but also because I believe that retirement is the return on the citizen investment. They should not have to give up their end of life to save the nation that they built.  That goes against the reason to work in the first place. 

So am I willing to lose my mom for the stability of my home country?  No, I am not. As a citizen of America I do not feel that the relationship is reciprocal so therefore I am unwilling to suffer loss to save it.  I do not get medical as part of my citizenship and my government values the insurance companies more than its patients. To get higher education I need to pay a lot of money that will keep me indebted to corporate America for many years and professions that should be a pathway to retirement are now jobs like being a teacher or a nurse because we are now responsible for our retirement.  That is not a fair and just system and I want nothing more to do with it.

The good is that global events enact global change.  The pandemic that we are all living through is not the flu season but a new season of change.  The future that we were hopeful for in 2019 no longer exists. Too many have and will die and too many have and will lose their jobs so the idea that economies will just get back to full steam in a minute is laughable.  

As an American I am willing to die for my country and my fellow citizens if it means that more people can pursue a sustainable quality of life in which the modern day needs of us are being met.  I am willing to die to make this happen and that means I am willing to see it get worse, a lot worse, before it gets better. Let the system fail all,, it has already failed too many. I am not willing to die for corporations and a government that in many ways owns its citizens.  I am not willing to die for a president that I do not respect as a politician, husband, leader, father or man. I am not willing to die for a different president who is a mere politician selling a return to a normal that does not exist.  

What changes do you want?  The time is now. There will not be a second chance.  My advice, follow your gut and your heart and not what others say is in your best interest.  Anyone who is pushing their ideal on you is just a bully and should be ignored. 

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