Ladies and Gentlemen! Hasn’t this been the worst year of our lives? We have a president who makes the United States look dumb every time he opens his mouth, a global pandemic killing millions of people worldwide, dumb people not taking the virus seriously and placing the young and old around the world at risk, and the descent of Asian Giant Hornets (now called Murder Hornets by the news, because… it sounds cooler) invading the West. Yup, it’s been a crazy year, but I’m the type of guy who, despite many people calling me a complainer (I prefer tactful venter), tries to look on the bright side of things. If you have lost loved ones during this crisis, then you truly have my sympathies, and it may be unlikely for you to see any silver lining in this hell of a year. But just as scientists discovering how a new form of bacteria can live next to thermal vent, the lessons we’ve learned while enduring this crisis are perhaps the best silver lining we’ll get. We’ve learned not only the United States, but the world, is not ready to deal with an attack from a viral enemy. Sure, we have hunted many species to near extinction, have even committed genocide against groups of our own not agreeing with our ideas, but when a bomb, bullet, or nightstick isn’t the answer, the entire world proved nearly powerless against a virus. And, even though casualties from such an enemy would have, unfortunately, been unavoidable, it was pride, the original sin, which caused a viral outbreak to blossom into a global pandemic. China delayed notifying the world when COVID-19 first appeared; the United States took an “It will never come here” attitude by denying the seriousness of the situation. People in other countries took social distancing and isolation protocols as a joke, until them or their family members were rushing to over capacity hospitals for care. We also learned how quickly nature recovers in the absence of humans. Los Angeles, New York, and other cities across the nation saw smog reduction that could be observed from outerspace. Animals took to occupying roadsides and cityscapes that were once bustling with human traffic, as if a strange harmony between artificial infrastructure and nature had been realized. We learned how not only life, but our very way of existence is transient, for something as small yet efficient as a virus could bring the entire world to an agonizing standstill. And with this, we learned the lack of economic preparedness of the common man and woman around the world (Despite thoughts to this contrary, the growing disparity between livable wage and actual wage making this lacking not their fault), for where would they be without the magnanimity of their neighbors, the government, and landlords? And this brings me to the final, vital thing we learned throughout this trying time: We’ve learned, despite falsity, foolishness, greed, and hatred, we as humans can still come together to help one another, often in more inventive ways than we realize, in a capacity beyond what we imagined from the bowels of our love. Of course, I got on my soapbox to hit you with the realization that what you learn, in the end, means as much as pint of sand in a desert; it’s what you do with what you learn that counts. So… what will YOU do with the wisdom you’ve gained from this experience? Will you live lavishly with the money you gained from government assistance, or will you pay your bills and invest in your future? Will you feed on everyone’s capacity for hate to spread more misunderstanding, or will you look at the boundless love spread through this crisis and add your own flavor to it? Will you worry about yourself and fortify your own world, or will you lend a hand to help your wronged neighbor in his or her time of grieving? Whatever you decide, all I ask is you decide it carefully, for the future depends on the decisions you make today. As for me? Just know I’m no saint, not a proud sinner, but truly love you, and, no matter what choice you make, wouldn’t change you for the world. Just make sure the choice you make is yours and yours alone, mind to soul, flesh to bone.
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MAYJOR E. JohnsonAll updates for my projects, any news I find interesting, and my personal thoughts will go here. Archives
February 2022
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