Road Less Traveled

The starkly white windmill in my neighbor’s backyard keeps spinning as though oblivious to the nightmare. When will both stop? Leaves on the large tree plum trees in the corners of my backyard have sprouted from their slumber, the Bermuda grass in the front and backyard turned a lush green, and warm sunny days augment the chilly societal conditions. Any government constraints related to oversight or control of the people are lying in tatters at the feet of Lady Liberty. Politicians are enacting far reaching policies with zero checks and balances, and literally every day we wake up to a reality that was unimaginable one month prior. Face masks are now suggested for every American to wear which is a complete reversal of advice from our government less than one week ago! The problem with this recommendation is that we all know there is a massive shortage of masks for our health care professionals. Now we are left to “make” our own masks with items found in the store. We are reverting back to a bygone day where sewing machines, and the ability to use one, are vital skills because private sector services have been completely shut down. This virus has exposed our farce of a society for what it is; religion versus science, opinion versus fact, republican versus democrat, self-interest versus collective well-being, me versus you.

Here is a short list of what has happened here in America since March 11, 2020 to April 2, 2020: 

School closures, all students on distance learning.
Self-distancing measures on the rise due to social distancing requirements.
Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
Wear a mask when you leave your house.
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
Entire sports seasons cancelled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events – cancelled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings – cancelled.
No masses, churches are closed.
No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 5 or more.
Don’t socialize with anyone outside of your home.
Children’s outdoor play parks are closed.
We are to distance from each other.
Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.
Shelves are bare.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
Government closes the border to all non-essential travel. Passports are only being issued for extreme emergencies.
Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
Press conferences daily from the President.  Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
Government incentives to stay home. A two trillion-dollar stimulus package was passed but no financial relief in sight.  Job losses are approaching, or depending on the economist, Depression levels. 
Barely anyone on the roads.
People wearing masks and gloves outside.
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families. Police officers in various states are beginning to issue citations for persons in violation of the “stay at home” order.  U.S. leads the world in COVID-19 cases with over 290,000 cases and 7,844 deaths. Worldwide there are now 1,153, 047 cases and 61,649 deaths (www.worldometers.info).

While America continues to trip over its own feet, the global effects and responses to the pandemic are unique. Here are some bullet points of what is currently happening around the world. 

• Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte has proclaimed police or soldiers are permitted to shoot citizens who are not in compliance with the stay at home order

• Ecuador: Dead bodies are lying on the street because they do not have the resources to identify who has COVID-19.

• Italy: Organized crime (Mafia) is beginning to rear its ugly head and overwhelming the authority’s ability to control the mechanisms by which it recruits. 

• Norway: News from this country tends to be positive, showing they are collectively working together to minimize the effects of the virus. 

• South Korea: Leaders met early and often leading to a centralized plan that incorporated testing and identifying those with the virus. Therefore, they did not shut down their economy like most countries and were able to control the spread through isolating those infected.

• India: Thank God I don’t live in this country. Islamophobia was already a major problem, now this virus is being used to persecute Muslims. The caste system coupled with overcrowding exacerbates individual’s ability to cope with their draconian lockdown. Further, our American President supports India’s Prime Minister Modi who is a despicable human being. What does that say about our leadership?

International responses have been disorganized, nationalistic, and disinterested in how to support their citizens through this pandemic. If one leader, one person, one collective unit could band together and protect the weak through providing necessary resources widely available in this modern age while ensuring there is an economy to participate in when this is all over; then we would all walk together on the road less traveled.