We have a real departure from logic playing out in all our lives right now. Six months ago we had no idea that we would be working from home, wearing masks when we go out, and intolerant of anyone coughing anywhere within earshot. But here we are.
I usually write about my mom but, for now, I’m not able to see her. I know she’s safe and I know she’s being taken care of and that’s what has to matter for now. I am able to drop things off to be given to her and every time I go, just looking at the signs on the door that say no one other than essential personnel are allowed seems otherworldly. But it is real even though so many thought that ignoring COVID-19 and downplaying its effects would make it all go away. Didn’t we learn somewhere around age five that squeezing our eyes shut and jamming our fingers in our ears does nothing but make us look childish? Some of us did, others not so much.
We speak of the United States as being united, as one nation, yet when something happens that will affect the entire country the imaginary walls start going up. And to what end? The immediate fallout is hard enough to take but the effects of COVID-19 and the decisions of those we look to for guidance are going to last for a long time. This is not something we can fix. It’s something that we are going to have to adapt to and if we don’t, people will continue to pay the price with their lives, their jobs, and their financial security.
What I don’t understand is why logic is so easy to dismiss, why we tend to cling to misinformation like it’s written in stone, and why we think we’re special. I’ve done a bit of traveling recently and I can say with 100% certainty that there are no plexiglass walls on the border of each state; it’s just land and the borders are what humans have drawn on a map. Yet some of our leaders have decided that the rules don’t apply to them and if we just carry on as normal it will all go away. That’s not how science works. That’s not how any of this works.
I read an article in the Associated Press that summed up some of the misinformation that most of us have heard about COVID-19. Most of us know a conspiracy theory when we see one (we’ve had a lot of practice lately) while others grasp on and spread it like wildfire. Apparently, some people think there’s a link between the virus and 5G service. Nope. If you glance at a map of COVID-19 outbreaks overlayed with a map of where 5G service is being implemented it does look like there could be something in common and there is. The virus tends to be seen in heavily populated areas, the same kind of areas where new technology is launched. Makes sense, doesn’t it? And yes, I’ve seen the pictures of dead birds in the Netherlands and Italy who were supposedly killed by 5G. The birds were killed during a storm which is not uncommon; it’s sad for the birds but it wasn’t technology that killed them.
As for tonic water being a cure since it contains quinine, that would be absolutely wonderful if it were true; everyone wants life to get back to normal and if Schweppes tonic water did the trick we would know. For heaven’s sake, medical workers are exhausted and people are dying alone - who would stretch that out just to keep tonic water a secret? Stay hydrated and have a cocktail if you’d like but Facebook groups are not the place to go when looking for advice or a cure. At the least, that information is useless. At the worst, it can kill you. Where is the logic in that?
I understand that it’s human nature to look for the reason bad things happen and to launch blame at the people and situations we don’t like or we don’t understand. I’ve done all those things myself because that’s what my mind does, it looks for connections. I’ve spun my wheels and gone down rabbit holes many times in my half century plus a few years on earth and I’ve learned that things happen, they just do, and the only thing we can do is control our reaction to them. Slow down, stop, and breathe. Bouncing off walls doesn’t do anyone any good and frankly, it’s exhausting to watch.
We’ve all learned a thing or two from this pandemic and we’ve had a crash course in human nature. We’ve learned that people panic at the thought of not having enough toilet paper (get a bidet, for real) and we start baking our brains out. The latter has been happening in my house and it’s not me, who is usually the cook, it’s my husband. He’s been on a mission to recreate the oatmeal bread his mom used to bake when he was growing up and at around loaf number six he did it. He’s used more flour in the last month than I have in the past five years - yet we still looked at each other in amazement when the flour aisle was empty. What in the hell are people doing??? Oh wait. It’s us, we’re those people.
Amongst all the bad news and bad behavior I’ve seen some good things. Some really good things. People helping each other and spending time with their kids, pets who are almost never alone, and sweet acts of kindness. I hope the good ways we’ve been treating each other and appreciating our time together lasts far after we get our act together and get back to our new normal. And I hope we learn that we are not immune to the world’s problems, we cannot just turn our backs and wish for bad things to go away and blame others and point fingers. Nothing gets done like that in a family, and nothing gets done like that in a country. Why would we tolerate the selfish actions of those we trust with our lives when we wouldn’t tolerate those same actions in our own households?
Stay safe out there. Someone is counting on you and looking to you for guidance. Don’t let them down.
