Hi!
If these past months have taught us anything, it's that two people can look at the exact same thing and see, absorb, and digest what is in front of them very differently.
Some see things through a lens full of soft light, void of harsh edges. A lens through which everything magically solves itself, and nothing is ever as bad as reality dictates.
Others look at things through a lens filled with doom. They find it difficult to see the light side of any situation, always assuming that only the worst possible outcome is plausible, that only the worst possible outcome is possible.
Yet others, see things just as they are. All of the colours, no matter how subtle, the shadows, the edges, the darkness, the light. They can see the light side, but understand that it can only become light by doing what you need to do to strip away the darkness.
The race to the end of this Pandemic is Vaccine vs. Variants.
It's not political. It's not about anybody controlling anybody else. It's science and math. Period.
This virus is obviously not going to go away on its own. We have lived through every season carrying this thing on our backs. Cold weather didn't make it go away, Spring didn't make it dissipate, Summer didn't kill it, and neither did the Fall. We are cycling through yet another round of seasons, basically at the same level of disease as we were last year at this very same time. Maybe even worse.
I find it fascinating that the very people who are among the most vocal in complaining about how long this is dragging out are, inevitably, the very people that hate and in some cases, refuse to wear some sort of face covering, are the ones who protest the loss of freedoms. These 'freedom fighters' are the actual reason it has dragged out this long. They protest against what needs to be done to kill this virus, and in the same breath, complain that it's not yet dead.
Just maybe, if we had all followed the lead of say... New Zealand, we would be where they are right now. At concerts, attending big weddings, hanging out with unlimited amounts of friends and family without masks, because they are down to about one case a month, if that. Someone tests positive, they jump on it immediately, trace it, track it, and shut it down. Then life goes back to normal. Back to packed sporting events. Back to hugging. Back to doing all of it without putting people in danger.
They didn't get where they are by making the whole thing some political fight. They followed the science and collectively did what needed to be done to eradicate the virus. Not complicated. They took it seriously from the jump, understood the ramifications of giving oxygen to misinformation, and did what was necessary. Together.
As a result, their economy hasn't had to take the prolonged, endless, hits that so many other countries have suffered. Their citizens haven't had to go through endless months of disconnect. Although they have been unable to escape death brought on by this virus completely, as of this writing they've lost 26 people in total, they haven't suffered the devastating loss of life that has plagued other nations.
Well, we can't change the past. We can, however, change how we choose to move forward.
If you are still of the mindset that it's 'just' a virus, it's not that bad, it's just another flu, it's time to wake the hell up. This thing has killed and taken a long-term toll on far too many for you to live that fantasy any longer. In the beginning, this attitude was understandable. We didn't know. Now we do.
If you are still thinking that this is some sort of conspiracy to control you, please explain how this is advantageous to anyone.
Elected officials aren't garnering any brownie points from anyone throughout this whole thing. No matter what. If they implement restrictions, if they don't, there is nothing to be gained politically either way. No matter what you do or don't do, you are going to piss off a large faction of your voters.
Dragging this thing out deliberately serves no one but the conspiracy theorists. They are the only ones that have expanded their platform through this whole thing.
I can't help but wonder how many people who have been sucked into the vortex of misinformation will look back on this, ten years from now. Will they be able to step back at that point and see this piece of history for what it really was? A tragic Pandemic that stole so many more souls than was necessary. A horrible illness that wouldn't have had to do the permanent damage to humanity to the extent that it did. How things could have been different if the conspiracies had not been given oxygen. Will they be able to see all the colours? All the edges? I sincerely hope so. Not so they feel bad, but so if, god forbid, anything like this is ever thrown at us again, we can pull a New Zealand, without hesitation.
The race now is Vaccine vs. Variants.
Let's win this race together, shall we?
We Got This.
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Until next time...
May we soon take a collective sigh of relief as we cross the finish line, victory, but not without victims.
May we get to a place of healing, mending, tending to the trauma by which we've been stricken.
May we soon get past the us vs. them mentality, for it serves no one, creates nothing.
May we, instead, work together, beat this, congregate, celebrate, something, anything, all things.
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Thank you so much for your continued support. These ramblings are being read in
20+ countries on any given day, a pinch-me fact that is never lost on me. Thank you!
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