It's genuinely feeling like one giant plot to mentally destroy an entire population. All of this social distancing, limitations to small crowds of people in any one place, the dumb screens, being unable to see family, the constant masks so you can't see faces (a lot of human interaction is through reading facial expression), all of this serving to completely alienate our natural goddamn instinct to gather and socialize. Even I as a stay-at-home introvert understand how vitally important being around your fellow man is, we quite literally need it to function properly as a species.
And the results of what happens when you don't allow that have already been ongoing since the end of fucking May.
Not to worry. For every measure there is a countermeasure. Can't see family in person? Use an app. Got phones, right? Got emails, correct? Can't see the face? Look at the eyes - they can tell far more than the rest of the face. When I see people smiling often look at the eyes. Sometimes they tell the real story, which might not be pretty.
Can't gather in the usual places? Maybe you can gather in different places. You can gather at places like KF. A lot of people do this even during "normal" times.
"They" can only "mentally destroy" you if you let them. I say, fuck that and fuck "them". Once you see through "their" bullshit, it's easy to stay patient and do workarounds. Remember, the emperor has no clothes. "They" fear us. ALL they have are law enforcement weapons to back up their oppressive measures. "They" lost credibility months ago, and "they" have never held the moral high ground, for what it's worth. Believe "they" know they are running out of time. At this rate, it won't be long before there's widespread civil disobedience, and possibly violence. I fear the seeds of anger "they" have so diligently planted these past months could bear very poisonous fruit.
Saddest thing to me are the people who commit suicide due to this house arrest. Some people have actually done this. For whatever reason, they could not or would not look past this house arrest as the cruel joke it really is. There have been many, many people in actual solitary confinement for extended periods, without any access to phones, TV, computers, etc., who make it through without going nuts. They took it one day at at time. They never broke. And when out of solitary confinement they realized that now "they" had one less weapon to use against them. The body can be confined, but not only cannot you confine the mind, you cannot confine an idea. Nothing "they" can do about what I have written here. Can't keep me from writing. But worse for "them", they cannot keep me - or you, or anyone, from thinking, and perhaps planning.
Would also say the "mental destruction" works both ways. Am very glad I am not certain governors and certain mayors. Believe they can almost reach out and touch the hate their tyrannical behavior has engendered. It's not out of the question that some of these people may be fearing for their lives, they have stirred up so much anger and hatred. But they don't have the guts - yet - to call it a day and back down from their oppressive measures.
A quote, slightly paraphrased from Jonathan Edwards - "they can't even run their own lives, I'll be damned if they'll run mine!"
One day, this will end. All bad times end. The economic damage will be the easiest to fix. The "interactional damage" shouldn't be too hard to fix - just grow a pair and lose the fear. Believe the damage that will take the longest and be the most difficult to fix will be the broken trust, utter loss of confidence in, and the withdrawal, at least unspoken, of the consent to "them" governing.
The biggest joke of this time is the saying "We're all in this together." It is clear that we have never been all in this together, and never will be all in this together. Been saying this since January, I believe. Jesus. It's been "us" versus "them" from the start. Just because you wear a mask doesn't mean you can't or don't despise "them". Just means you are not yet ready to take direct action. Very understandable.
Believe the next time there's a major crisis in this country, when "they" appeal for assistance/support/help, people will remember how "they" fucked over hundreds of millions of Americans, and ignore anything "they" say. The people just won't care, unless directly affected. Only natural. Then "they", through "their" media, will whine that Americans aren't responding. Tough shit, brought it on themselves.
George Carlin put it this way..."I don't take no shit because I don't give a shit. If I gave a shit, I'd have to pack shit. But I don't take no shit because I don't give a shit." When you don't give a shit, "they" cannot do you any lasting harm, and you can handle "their" pettiness.
So relax. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed to any of us. So why let "them" rent space in your head? Uncle Joe says, "they" can go EAT ME!
