Saturday, May 30, 2020

Quarantine day 78

As COVID continues to harm the world, our country swirls. Round and round, faster and faster, we swirl like water in a sink avoiding the drain. Every day the news is worse. An uptick in sickness as states reopen. Citizens against citizens, shouting, accusing, judging. Yet another African American death at the hands, or in this case, the knee of a police officer. No strong leadership urging caution, commanding peace, taking charge.

What the hell is happening?

Wherever you stand politically, and no one can convince me this hasn't become part of the divide, you have to admit this country is spiraling. Human decency has flown out the window. A letter to the editor from a woman saying she will only wear a mask when everyone wears a Fitbit because COVID is only a death sentence to the obese? Peaceful demonstrators being smoked, gunned, or run over for voicing their anger? Arsonists and looters destroying businesses in the hopes people will listen?

Our forefathers are rolling in their graves.

In this time, especially for those of us still quarantining, we should all go back to school--to history class. We need a refresh on why our ancestors formed this country. A reminder to their vision of which we've clearly lost sight of. 

I read an article recently regarding William Golding's, Lord of the Flies, a novel of a group of stranded boys governing themselves on a deserted island. The author of the article set out to discredit Golding's account, believing instead that boys forced to survive would do better. By accident, he discovered an actual incident of a group of schoolboys shipwrecked on an uninhabited island for over a year, and in tracking down their rescuer, the author was heartened to learn his faith in humankind was correct. Every boy survived, but they did so by establishing on day one, they would only live by working together.

I hope the people in this country will come to that realization too.

Some day soon.

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