Corona Blues

You might think that with all this time on my hands that I would have written several blog pieces. It's been four months since my last one! But no. There appears to be a lethargy attached to phrases such as, "stay at home," "lockdown," and "social distancing." And Blogger didn't help any by changing their format so much that it took some time to figure out how to navigate the "new look."

So here I sit, looking out the window. Hello? Is anybody out there? 

Social distancing is a lonely existence. There's a tendency for us to stay in our pajamas all day, refrain from makeup, and not tweeze our eyebrows. I have watched episode after episode of NCIS, starting from Season 1. I can't go to church. And nobody wants to hug me! It's just me and the refrigerator.

Thank God there's been some excellent humor resulting from the Corona Blues -- videos, jokes, photographs -- for all of which I am SO grateful. I mean, if you can't laugh, you might just cry.

On the other hand, some of my friends on Facebook have been posting comments and news articles that have stirred up a great deal of controversy if not angst. And while I agree with some of it, I refuse to be pulled down into arguments with people who have already made up their minds. I suspect that there are truths on both sides of the issue and lots of questions:

Who is at fault for unleashing this virus?

Will we feel better if we can blame someone?

Did we do the right thing?

Did we do it soon enough?

Is there a conspiracy?

Aren't people going to make a lot of money on a "cure"?

Will there ever be a cure?

One thing for sure, this is a rude wake-up call. America was not prepared. You and I were probably not totally prepared, even if we did have a good supply of toilet paper at the time of the lockdown orders. Hospitals were scrambling for the necessary supplies to treat the sick. And government officials were falling all over themselves to do the right thing. And to look good on TV. The pandemic became a political football, and consequently, statements were made and orders given that were not thought through. 

And another thing, if you're trusting your government to take care of you from the cradle to the grave and keep you safe from any perceived threat, you are delusional.

There is enough fear surrounding this particular virus to trigger panic in even the most rational person. You may remember people taking the "stay-at-home" order to the extreme that they wouldn't go outside at all or even open their windows, as if the virus could be floating on the air just waiting for them to poke their noses out.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his first inaugural address:

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. (my emphasis)

While this fear has a name -- it is now officially known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) --  all the confusion, panic and media hype has paralyzed some people with terror. See this Mayo Clinic article for more information.

But how does this virus line up with other causes of death? The World Health Organization statistics name heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illnesses as the leading causes of death world wide, and that's millions. Millions every year. Do we need to be reminded that people die every day from diseases -- viral, bacterial, organic, cancerous. And, in case you have forgotten, over 90 people will die in auto accidents every day. According to driverknowledge.com/.

I'm not suggesting that the coronavirus is nothing to get excited about, I'm simply attempting to put it in perspective. Indeed, some of the symptoms are downright scary, including the blackened fingers and toes.

My complaint is that many state and county health department orders are flat out irrational. While wearing face masks can be useful to stop droplet dispersal among groups of people, it's irrational to require face masks while driving alone in your car. And these orders are proclaimed by unelected people who can have you thrown in jail if they are disobeyed, differ widely from county to county and state to state. While the area-specific orders are a good thing -- if an area is not experiencing a lot of infections, then the orders should be less restrictive -- the unelected little despots are not. Jail? Really?

If you want to get a feel for the wide diversity of orders, check this list of county restrictions. Who knew California had so many counties?

I agree with FDR and I think we now need to advance. We should be sensible, but get back to work. With the size of our National Debt, I don't think we can afford not to. Sure, the Government can print some more money, but eventually this is a debt that must come due. (But don't get me started!)

There's a list of safeguards recommended by the CDC and area hospitals, including regular hand washing with soap and water, staying home if you are sick, and so forth. We've probably seen/heard them 100 times. In my opinion, had washing and staying home if you are sick are common sense behaviors that we should all practice all the time. Not just now. It is in the nature of bacteria and viruses to mutate. There will always be something new out there that can make us sick. So let's be careful out there. But GET OUT THERE! Not just for economic reasons, but for our emotional and spiritual health. We were not made to live alone. 

Gen 2:18  And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone . . . .

Heb 10:24, 25  and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together . . . .

Come on county officials, do the right thing. We wanna stop singin' the blues.