Unhappy Fourth

The most discouraging holiday weekend is behind us. Not us personally, as in my household, or my circle of friends and acquaintances. But us as USA. 

That weekend is the Fourth of July weekend. The holiday fell on a Saturday, which made for a lovely long weekend (if you are still gainfully employed, which I am not, except by self). 

The reason it was such a bummer to me is this: People in this country just lack all sense of discipline, they lack a sense of community and the concern for others that goes with it. Some even apparently lack the ability to remain grounded in reality. 

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While normally I would shrug that off, what those factors lead to today is a raging wildfire of virus spread that will not quit as long as people are so self-centered as to continue acting like the pandemic doesn't exist. Or that their desire to have fun, socialize and generally prioritize their personal whims, desires and sense of entitlement over rational restraint in the face of a highly infectious virus that doesn't care a whit about their false sense of entitlement or that indulging in their own social appetites may not take them personally down, but it almost certainly will kill fellow Americans who have no interest in sacrificing their lives for such shallow and irresponsible people so they can party on or shop til they drop or catch a happy hour at a bar or whatever it is they want to do. 

And there's no way around it. Those activities will inevitably lead to more death and suffering. And ironically, it is that kind of unwillingness to stay home a few more weeks, to adapt to a new reality for the foreseeable future, until a vaccine is produced and widely available free of charge, that is prolonging the pandemic in USA, taking lives and continuing the unbearable unemployment and economic decline we are living with. 

And what is it about masks? Why can't those same people at least be absolutely fanatical about wearing a face covering at all times while out in public? That in itself would enable us to socialize more, to shop with less fear, to hang out sometimes, to attend church services and art exhibits and concerts and generally, live a somewhat more normal life until this is over. 

But no, people expend more energy and thought developing arguments about why we should not wear masks, declaring a mask to be a badge of shame, saying no freedom-loving red-blooded American should give in to that mandate to keep themselves and others safer and healthier. Sure, it's not a 100 percent guarantee you won't get sick. Neither is a vaccine -- which, by the way, those same people say they will not take because it might contain some substance they do not want entering their bodies (but it's OK to let the virus in?). 

But until we have a vaccine, wearing a face covering, washing hands, social distancing by waiting and remaining six feet perimeters around us in all possible situations are the surest way to slow the spread while allowing us to return to work and maintain a semblance of normal economic and social life. 

People are turning one of America's calling cards -- freedoms enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution -- into something they were never meant to be. None of that was ever meant to be a selfish exercise of "for me, by me and about only me" lifestyle. It was meant to be something that bound us together in times of strife and difficulty.

For the first time I've ever been aware of, freedom has morphed from "I will protect to the death your right to (fill in the blank)" to "I will do, say and never fail to do exactly whatever I feel like saying or doing while insisting you NOT do what you want if I don't like it or do not feel comfortable with it." 

To paraphrase St. Teresa of Calcutta (who is also being demonized in some arenas of the world, unbelievably), it is a terrible poverty to endanger others around you so you can spread disease and death by eating dinner out, attend a concert or baseball game packed in like sardines or refusing to wear a mask or practice safe social distancing. 

Is it really so hard to make a few small sacrifices by practicing good hygiene and covering your face in public so that we can all go back to work, visit department or grocery stores without fear and thus come together as Americans to defeat the coronavirus? That's what real patriotism is about. 

Packing into bleacher-style seating in front of Mount Rushmore so the narcissist in chief can pose for a photo that makes it look as if his image has been carved in stone next to a few select past presidents? So that NIC can stand in front of a cheering crowd? So he can deliver fireworks that are so risky to health and safety and environment, the annual display at that location had been discontinued a decade ago? 

Perhaps some Americans (far from a majority thank God) believe flouting every health, safety and environmental rule, guideline and law makes them patriotic heroes? It's just sick. More sick than even the coronavirus is capable of making them. 

This coming week will be busy, filled with journalism, freelance projects, and hopefully a return to working on my book. An hour a day for at least five days a week. That's my new goal, to develop that habit. 

I'm painting Squeaky's paver/grave marker too, in small bits. 

Onward. Happy Monday.