I have to agree
with political commentator and Washington Post Op-Ed columnist Ruth Marcus when
she said on last Friday’s PBS NewsHour that President Trump’s saying that
America should “get back to work” and “fill the pews” by Easter was the worst, most
stupid and dangerous, thing “ever said by an U.S president.
Wow. But, yep, I agree.
Trump’s
proclamation has been rolled back, and we’re now advised to all be on lock-down
at least a week or two later, until the end of April.
Really?
Like a week or two
will help. Like this will go away in a
matter of days.
When all the
medical experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who often appears on Trump’s coronavirus news
conferences and courageously stands up to Trump and contradicts him, are saying
that the worst is yet to come, that it will be months, not weeks, until we’re
out of this.
But, jeez. I know
this is right. I know that we’re in this for the long haul and that the sooner we
all take this seriously like a heart attack and all stay at home, in place, as
much as possible, the sooner this will end, the sooner we’ll get out of this.
Yep, I agree. But – really? – jeez.
When all this
began, I was angry and in denial and saying “fuck it” and sneaking out,
including to a movie on what turned out to be the last day before the theater,
all the theaters around here, closed.
Then, I settled in, sort of like I was camping out at home, enjoying and
thankful for Netflix and Prime and writing, posting here, more, sending out
e-mails teetering between encouragement and despair, getting caught up on business and doing bits
of Spring cleaning. I’ve also been getting
more and more angry at Trump saying irresponsible and, to say the least,
unhelpful things and the people, perhaps lead by his word, I heard and read
about who are or were still going out, going to bars and parties or wherever,
hiking and surfing in large groups. (It’s sad but evidently necessary that
beaches and trails have been closed in the last weeks, although I’ve read that
people are still accessing trails.)
I read about a
woman saying she’s “tired of Netflix.” How can you be tired of Netflix? I’m constantly amazed by how much is on the
site (not to mention Prime and plenty of other sites), by all the shows and
films I keep reading about and hearing about from friends and on the
radio. I’m reminded of Samuel Johnson
saying, “A man who is tired of London is tired of life.” But I am getting tired
of watching television, of staying indoors, of not going out and about, seeing
people and events. Is this the same as being tired of Netflix? And if you’re already tired of Netflix, etc.,
at this point, it seems to me you’re in trouble.
On the other hand,
I am more and more grateful that I can see and talk to friends online. It’s
amazing to me that we can now do this relatively easily. I recently read an article in the Los Angeles
Times about how the coronavirus is making us even more reliant on our computers
and phones, on our screens, which has both pros and cons. Furthermore, according to the article, in
South Korea and perhaps other Asian countries, there’s a culture and market for
people who prefer to be alone. I have to
admit that, although I like seeing and talking to friends and getting out among
people – even crave and to some extent thrive on it – there is a lot of time
when I want to be on my own, alone, reading, watching, hopefully writing, going
out, not having to talk, not having to engage.
I’m hoping I’ll
feel better, saner, more calmed down, less cooped up, when it gets warmer – the
late winter and early spring has been unusually chilly here in sunny So. Cal.,
or my neuropathy has gotten worse, and I’m even more sensitive to the cold –
and I can sit out in my backyard, a quiet sanctuary of greens and blooms where I
feel far, far away.
No comments:
Post a Comment