200419 fear
april 19
i fear this coronavirus. it is nasty and unpredictable. we know so little, and have few weapons against it.
even more, i fear what the pandemic could do to our societies. governments are imposing restrictions on our freedoms. they (we!) are spending billions of dollars on aid and healthcare. many people are without work, and the other side of this coin is that many supplies, foods and resources are not being produced, put off for months or seasons. but this draining financial burden and the hiatus in production will result in shortages for individual and country alike over the coming years.
before long people may become scared and desperate as loss gathers momentum. anger, rioting, and violence within and between countries may bring a new threat. among the positive stories in the news, of wisdom, heart and hope, are whispers of betrayal, conspiracy, manipulation. these are born of fear and engender fear, created in ignorance and spreading ignorance. (we hope at least that they are not real. - see? spreading fear!)
as the pandemic threat recedes, if not before, we may face famine and hardship. will the hard-won freedoms of the twentieth century return with "the new normal", (i fear that the old normal is done-for) or will we wake up to oppression and dictatorship? will we ever again see the prosperity we were used to, and took for granted? and those countries less fortunate, what will happen to them? we have seen the beginnings of a global social awareness in recent decades, and now the coming-together of countries to collectively fight covid 19. but global solidarity may be undermined or destroyed by the demands of protecting our own country and family.
this civilization, our collective social model, is a thin veneer and it doesn't take much to scratch through to the animal. see the break-throughs: in mobs and riots, violence and ruin. how prepared are we to withstand such pressure and upheaval?
and all these politicians and leaders are trying to make good choices for their people or their careers or both. i see in their faces, they are only men and women doing their best, as afraid as we all are. i picture them standing on a beach, brave and desperate against the storm. but the wave that comes won't wash away just our shells and sandcastles. it may break the very seawalls and levees that protect civilization from destruction.
..."the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world"...*
*bob dylan: "a hard rain's a-gonna fall"
i fear this coronavirus. it is nasty and unpredictable. we know so little, and have few weapons against it.
even more, i fear what the pandemic could do to our societies. governments are imposing restrictions on our freedoms. they (we!) are spending billions of dollars on aid and healthcare. many people are without work, and the other side of this coin is that many supplies, foods and resources are not being produced, put off for months or seasons. but this draining financial burden and the hiatus in production will result in shortages for individual and country alike over the coming years.
before long people may become scared and desperate as loss gathers momentum. anger, rioting, and violence within and between countries may bring a new threat. among the positive stories in the news, of wisdom, heart and hope, are whispers of betrayal, conspiracy, manipulation. these are born of fear and engender fear, created in ignorance and spreading ignorance. (we hope at least that they are not real. - see? spreading fear!)
as the pandemic threat recedes, if not before, we may face famine and hardship. will the hard-won freedoms of the twentieth century return with "the new normal", (i fear that the old normal is done-for) or will we wake up to oppression and dictatorship? will we ever again see the prosperity we were used to, and took for granted? and those countries less fortunate, what will happen to them? we have seen the beginnings of a global social awareness in recent decades, and now the coming-together of countries to collectively fight covid 19. but global solidarity may be undermined or destroyed by the demands of protecting our own country and family.
this civilization, our collective social model, is a thin veneer and it doesn't take much to scratch through to the animal. see the break-throughs: in mobs and riots, violence and ruin. how prepared are we to withstand such pressure and upheaval?
and all these politicians and leaders are trying to make good choices for their people or their careers or both. i see in their faces, they are only men and women doing their best, as afraid as we all are. i picture them standing on a beach, brave and desperate against the storm. but the wave that comes won't wash away just our shells and sandcastles. it may break the very seawalls and levees that protect civilization from destruction.
..."the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world"...*
*bob dylan: "a hard rain's a-gonna fall"
A very thought-provoking entry. I wonder a lot about the fear born from this pandemic, and also Fear’s power in situations like this. It was good to read your reflections on the subject. Thank you for sharing!
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