I have not written an essay in 2020 until now, not because I had nothing to say, but rather that my mind couldn't keep up with all its astonishing events.
The year began with our country being severely split down the middle, both sides not being able or willing to understand the other's perspectives. It was and is like a cold civil war - families and friends finding that they dare not engage in conversation regarding our country's leadership.
Then the virus arrived, an epidemic the likes of which hadn't been seen on our continent in over a century. Every single one of us was and is in jeopardy. Only Hollywood disaster movies predicted anything near this scenario. But this is not entertaining in the least.
Unlike in all disaster movies, we didn't come together as one country to fight this viral enemy. And that in itself was another shock to the system. Again unlike in the movies, the scientists couldn't save the day for us. They were not allowed to. What a bad, bad movie we are starring in.
Epidemiologists have long warned us of such a public health threat. Stunningly this time it fell on the deaf ears of the federal administration. Our country wasn't in any way ready to face something like this. Not in practical terms, and not in psychological terms. Only the kooky prepper communities were ready to cope with the great societal disruption about to begin.
Why so unprepared? I would estimate that about 30 years ago there was a change in the behavior of the American middle class. Sensible life planning became something in the rear view mirror. Go for it. Go for more. Go for it all. Take that risk. Worry about it all later.
The predicaments of poor national leadership and the arrival of a novel virus melded into a terrifying scenario.The off-the-wall president decided that after he had done maybe one symbolic move against the virus, that his next plan was to pretend that its momentum was not growing, that we were not all in great jeopardy. He was not about to let this ruin his presidency. His great skills as a salesman would make it all go away.
Then there are the people, the populace. A stunning number of them decided that they weren't about to let this "phony" virus threat dampen their freedoms and their lifestyles. Is this the unintended outcome of a prosperous life of freedom? Stupidity?
The Boomer generation has been a big disappointment. We started out with "stop the war", and "love one another". We turned out to be as war mongering, materialistic, and greedy as any generation could be.
And I am now so disappointed in the American 21st century culture. The current young adult generation seems not to care whether or not they bring home the virus to mom and dad, grandma and grandpa. How did we raise such a selfish and stupid bunch of kids?
Our culture seems to be its own worst enemy, with the irony being that we have long thought of ourselves as the best of the best in the world. Look at us now.
Due to an archaic federal election system that we have been too unfocused to change, we now have the most dangerous leader we've ever experienced in our history. Not only did he bungle the response to this crisis, with the pandemic still in full swing he's trying to avoid the subject entirely in the run up to the election.
But maybe he is smart - he figures that enough people are stupid enough to follow the shiny objects he's tossing out in front of us. I don't know what I'll do if we turn out to be that absolutely asinine again.
186,000
Meanwhile, luck and vigilance has kept my family and myself virus free.
Meanwhile, as of this writing 186,000 American souls are gone this year from Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the virus- spreading Labor Day BBQ's are just days away, schools are gambling with the health of our children and trying to re-open, there is a deeply down and dirty battle for the presidency going on, and oh boy, here come the holidays!
If I were a praying person, I would ask God to make sure we learn the lessons of 2020. That is, those of us who survive it.
