M-M-M-My Corona

If you are a resident of planet Earth, your life is currently being overrun by an inundation of information in regards to the current Coronavirus pandemic. Whether it is the influx of infographics, advice, and statistics posted by the government and official health corporations, the social media “expert” who feels compelled to give their opinion at every turn, the businesses and schools extending their formalities on present situations and closings, or your jovial friend sharing memes to lighten the mood. Everywhere we turn there is more and more to worry about with the resurgence of Covid-19, this particular strain of the flulike coronavirus with a high contagion and mortality rate as far as viruses are concerned. Yes, we are told to practice social distancing as various places where large quantities of people congregate are temporarily closing down for the next month or two such as schools, universities, offices (where people are told to work from home), churches, restaurants, festivals, and yes, even our beloved gyms. Life, however, carries on, and the lasting impact this raging pandemic will have on people’s income, education, mental health, economy, and overall wellbeing is perhaps the most worrisome aspect of all.

As someone who is borderline compulsive with cleanliness in the home, eats a clean diet, consumes copious amounts of water, and takes plenty of vitamins, I am not so much fearful for myself. However, I do worry about being a potential carrier to those who may be immunocompromised and the elderly or spreading it to someone who is in close proximity with these people as my hectic schedule usually keeps me from being in contact with anyone outside of my home or the gym. I also have an influx of anxiety in regards to human behavior and their discourse over this fear. I mean, toilet paper has been cleared out in droves and I worry about those who’s budget kept them from being able to buy things like this (and baby formula, wipes, soap, and various other necessities) in bulk and now are in dire need of vital food, water, and commodities. As agent Kay from Men in Black says, “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it.” Perhaps fear drives people to a desperation mentality of wanting anything when it is limited or scarce. All of a sudden, one person clears the shelves of a particular item and the masses flock to the stores to pilfer them dry as well out of apprehension of not having something others do in times of a national (international) crisis. People are legitimately fighting in the aisles of Walmart over 2 ply ass paper and I wish I could say I was shocked. I also worry about those without well-rounded or affordable healthcare who may suffer debilitating consequences out of fear of financial burden. I wonder if this crisis and worldwide pandemic can lead to positive reformations with the United States healthcare. I hope it’s not foolish of me to advocate for any good to come out of such a tragic situation.

I also worry about the economic impact Covid-19 will have on the world, primarily the country in which I reside and call home. It’s no secret that the Stockmarket has taken a hit and we are in the throes of teetering on another recession. What about all the small businesses forced to close shop amidst the chaos? What happens to the bills and hardships these families will now face without a steady salary to compensate them? How about the professions being unwillingly thrown into unpaid leave while the contagion factor remains too risky? What about the millions people with their education disrupted over the course of the next few weeks due to schools and universities closing? I know health should and will always take a priority over academics, but at what cost? People tend to make the mistake of equating school with knowledge and that’s not the case. It is important to continue to learn and be educated in all facets of life so we can constantly evolve and help understand the bigger picture. While yes, it is unfortunate that clubs, sports, school dances, etc., will be halted and altered permanently for everyone involved, but the regularity and consistency of these scheduled events can leave a lasting impact on society for anyone in close proximity of these cataclysmic events. If you can afford it and your salary has not been drastically cut, I implore you to do what you can to support these smaller, family-owned businesses in time of need. Mom and Pop shops will falter and crumble under this regimen of forced closings and even your beloved BJJ dojo will be forced to shut down if memberships aren’t continuously paid throughout this pandemic. We all want a sense of normalcy to return to when this passes, and if we can’t financially support these places to keep the lights on, there will be nothing to return to when the world is whole once again.

I worry that the world will be chaos and people will begin to turn their back on one another. I worry that it will transform from America first, to me first and everyone will cease to put humanity first. Many didn’t care when this was first happening in China, and others chose to ignore when it infiltrated Italy, and then still some US citizens weren’t concerned as long as it wasn’t within a 500 mile radius of their dwellings. Precautions were taken too little too late and travel and commingling was still rampant everywhere. People are now employing social distancing at alarming rates to try and curb the spread of the contagion factor. Fear mongering is at an all time high and I can’t swivel my head in any direction without someone spewing a new, non-fact-checked statistic about the exorbitant amount of deaths and casualties we will see in the ensuing weeks. It’s enough to make anyone’s anxiety skyrocket. I am not much for worrying about things out of my control because it will do nothing to alleviate the tensions and negative thoughts in my mind, but even I can’t help to be a bit taken back and alarmed with all the disconcerting data being shoved in my face 24/7. If this were to ever reach levels of apocalyptic proportions, how many of these non-fighting, unskilled combatants, no commonsense having, toilet paper hoarding selfish mongrels would perish within the first week? We are all working ourselves into a frenzy and we would be remiss and downright negligent to remain woefully ignorant and unprepared for the consequences and ramifications of such an unprecedented historical event in the making.

I wish I was able to entertain a more lighthearted blog post, but in light of recent events, I felt it would be careless to not address the concerns at the forefront of everyone’s minds when I had a platform to do so. In 2019 we had words such as ‘lit’, ‘dab’, and ‘flossing’ sail to the top of the popular vernacular charts; 2020 will have the words ‘pandemic’, ‘quarantine’, and ‘social distancing’ in its stead. Times like these where preservation is imminent, we should also remember words that have been etched into our hearts since the beginning of time, such as ‘love thy neighbor.” Times are hard right now, and it’s looking like they won’t ease up anytime soon, so maybe have a bit of patience for all the hectic grievances cropping up everywhere and try and look out for one another. We all like to think we know more than anyone else when it comes to certain instances, but truth is, when it comes to mass hysteria over a global pandemic, we are all novices in this field. You may tie a black belt around your waist stepping onto the mats, but we are all white belts in humanity when confronted with Covid-19, and just like in the dojo, it is time to shut up and soak up knowledge to benefit our future. I hope to see you all back in the gyms in a short time, happy, healthy, and still as amicable as ever with minimal loss due to this virus. In the meantime, stay safe, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and don’t lose sight of the common goal we should all be striving for, which is ultimately a better tomorrow void of any other dystopian occurrences.