Quarantine: Day 1
Many people may be wondering how I can classify this as day one since many of us in a select few states have been living under fascist governance for much longer than 24 hours. But for full transparency and accuracy, my hour of writing this affects the first full “legal” day of government-mandated quarantine in the state of New York. I hope that those living in other states and parts of the world can join into this movement of chronicling our experiences so that our future generations do not need to relive the terrible mistakes that we as a people have not only made ourselves but also in how we have allowed an unqualified government to dictate what is best for us.
How do I feel right now?
That is a tough question. Not because I cannot answer it, but because we have been dancing around the issue for long enough that I was able to come to grips with what was about to happen. I told friends and colleagues weeks ago that we would be subjected to lockdowns, restrictions of civil liberties, and ultimately governed by martial law. While granted the last item has not yet come to pass, the first two most certainly have and it is far from inconceivable that the third is not far behind.
I can only speak for America, but I hazard to guess that there are many in progressive, first world countries who would abide by sentiment when I say that a virus of this kind should not have the power to bring mankind to a crippling halt. As a species, we have dealt with infection and disease for centuries. What always seemed to be consistent in that struggle was a greater sense of community and belief and support in the prevailing rule of law.
No, this is far from political. It is factual. Mankind has survived more viruses and plagues than any other species on the face of this planet. Yet, somehow brotherhood, patriotism and camaraderie has always shone through. The reason this journal entry does not feel like Day 1 is simply because there were too many self-absorbed selfish assholes out to stockpile their own inventory for the next 20 years or those capitalistic (to a fault) assholes who tried to capitalize on the misfortune of the country.
Even after weeks of posturing and conjecture from those we elected to lead us, those who lie, cheat and steal to continue to garner our votes, the responses and missives we get are mixed at best and totally conflicted at worst. Tongue in cheek has never had a better definition then our current city, state and federal officials. They do no care about your health or well being, I promise you this. They care about your perception of this and the loyalty you might bestow upon them in return. You, I, we, are all but a puppet to perpetrate their agenda. Fuck Trump, Hillary, Biden and all else. They will never be us. For a select few, maybe we can be them. But the “new” them. People with heart, compassion and empathy. Something sorely missed from our current leadership.
I continue to believe that we as a people will get through this. We are resilient. We are strong. But we also need to be educated and informed. Please do not accept everything you see on social media as truth. We the people are the eternal scape goat for the establishment. I am not your enemy and do not wish to change your beliefs, I only hope that you can read on further and fully understand my goal to save humanity.
DISCLAIMER:
Please realize I actually do not give a flying fuck what you think of my entries at this point, much like Anne Frank did not care if the Nazis read her journal after executing her. I write this for several reasons, and I will rank them in order of importance to me:
1. Future generations need to have an unbiased record of what has happened in 2020 without reading the bullshit media that is aimed to mislead even the most intelligent member of our generation.
2. Maybe someone will finally realize the irony of how we are dealing with this. If you are a politician, influencer, or any other person with a network of contacts, please share this.
3. We as individuals need to stop being stupid. If everyone keeps hoarding essential supplies
then panic will only grow further. Buy what you need and move on, please. And if you think I’m crazy, when you buy all the toilet paper and I buy all the chicken, have fun at the bartering table.