It’s hard to know what to say. This pandemic blog takes an unexpected turn here. It’s almost as if these words “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear” were prophetic. They were spoken by President trump at the end of February, one month before this journal began.
But not really. More than once someone has mentioned “we are still in the midst of a Pandemic, you know.”
I do know.
I got a haircut yesterday. Illinois has begun Phase 3 of opening up. For those of you who wonder what it’s like, here’s a rundown.
I was greeted by a small table. It held hand sanitizer, and a stack of KN95 Masks for sale at $6.00 each. This was in case I didn’t have one. (I didn’t.) There was a clipboard holding a pile of affidavits. I signed one, declaring that I had not experienced any of the following symptoms for the last 14 days: fever, shortness of breath, and a host of respiratory illness indicators.
My mask was taped to my face, so it didn’t come off during hair washing. I was the only client there until the very end, so that social distancing could be maintained. Appointments were staggered. I paid on an I-Pad. There were no magazines or cups of coffee. There was no ability to use the bathroom. Everywhere I had been sitting, was, as soon as I moved to another spot, immediately sprayed, wiped down, or swept. There were no hugs.
There was a lot of talking about protests and what Phase 3 looks like. It was speculation mostly, as we wondered how many of us would venture out to dine on “patios”, which are in truth former parking lots with umbrellas on tables. We concluded it will most likely depend on the weather. Also, that folks are desperate to go out.
This is the suburban Midwest. The diners will be surrounded by streets, not trees. We’ll see.
All of these phases and masks seem over-hyped in the shadow of the #GeorgeFloyd protests. The “invisible enemy” has become abruptly visible and this now demands our attention.
Masks worn on city streets seem little more than shields, protecting identities rather than health. It feels sort of like mockery. But just who is mocking who?
I’ve heard dire predictions of sharp spikes in the number of coronavirus cases, to occur about 2 weeks from now. These due to the close proximity of the people who are protesting.
Again, we’ll see.
There is such a flood of “facts” that most of us are drowning. On our street we see maybe one mask for every ten to twenty walkers or joggers. Masks in public have been rendered unimportant. The population has spoken. We still have to wear one when we shop inside a store.
What began as a journal of a worldwide health crisis, is rapidly morphing into a study of the human response to global crisis in general. There seems to be a new one every week. We are all doing the best we can.
There was a peaceful protest in an affluent suburb of Chicago this week. It turned ugly when some looters broke into a, wait for it, Barnes and Noble. Really, I kid you not. The report included speculation that only rich white kids would loot a Barnes and Noble. For books. I tend to agree.
This atmosphere of violence erupts right alongside peace vigils and marches. It is as if the world has seized on an opportunity to be heard. It will speak from whatever platform it has access to. The most frustrated have taken to the streets, their only available stage. For far too long most of our voices have been stifled. The violence that is becoming visible now is an expression of a deeper violence. It is this that will have to be addressed; the blatant disregard for specific life as defined by skin color or socioeconomic status or class.
Perhaps the virus and the murder of George Floyd are first steps taking us together to a place undivided by race or money. It’s not yet 6 months into the year, and if these first 5 months were any indication, revelations are only amplifying in speed and shock. A few things just noticed “trending” were… #TornadoComing, #Earthquake, #KingofEngland. And that was from the last 12 hours.
How do we negotiate this?
I think we remember that at the end of the day, we have ourselves to live with, tuck in at night and face in the morning. Self-authority asks us who we are and right now it is asking us in rapid fire. What rises to the top is ourselves. We are still in semi-quarantine, so the most often seen person, the one we are getting dressed to greet each day, is the one looking out at us from our own reflection. This has never been truer than it is today. These global crises coincide with the personal demons and justifications we’ve been ignoring.
There are two things to leave you with. One is a powerful video by a person of color, his first, and worth a listen. Warning, there is language and anger. Click here.
Second is a video I produced yesterday. It adds to the #GeorgeFloyd story and offers a different perspective. Find that here: (click here)
As shocking and previously hidden parts of our world are exposed, and we are asked to deal with them, it becomes primary that we love. Love first and let the answers spring from there. Know that none of us have ever taken this ride before, and we are, right now, painting the warning signs for those who will come after us. We are the leaders and it is upon us to lead.
I believe in you. I believe in us. I believe in love.
Sophia
