1 Year Anniversary of COVID-19

TGIF!

Can you believe it? We are a year into the COVID-19 pandemic (well, since it hit the U.S.A. in a big way, that is), and we are still learning more about the virus every day. From wearing masks (Does wearing a mask really help that much at all especially when the virus is so small that it will most likely break through any mask with the exception of the N95 mask? Is breathing in our own Carbon Dioxide for hour's on end for year's at a time a good thing long-term?) to six feet apart social distancing (this makes sense, but seems a bit arbritrary--why six feet and not ten, or any other number for that matter?) to washing our hands incessantly (nothing wrong with washing hands to promote cleanliness and better personal hygiene) to doing mostly outdoor activities (nothing wrong with this either as fresh air can do wonders for us physically and mentally), it's been a whirlwind to say the least. Now, a vaccine is available, and that has been causing more confusion and uncertainty. Will it work? Will I get the virus and end up getting sick/dying? Is it the 'end all, be all' solution to keeping healthy? No one really knows the answer.

Historically, vaccines can help reduce the risk of experiencing the intensity of symptons of a virus, but it doesn't mean it will stop the virus from infecting you. And, traditionally, working vaccines usually take 18 months at the very least to come into the market. With that said, it seems to be a bit expedited and hurried, wouldn't you think? Yes, modern medicine has come a long way and continues to produce more effective and efficient means to gaining positive results, yet it may seem a bit too soon for a viable vaccine. But, we're hopeful this gives people more peace of mind moving forward to start gathering in crowds (going to concerts, amusement parks, etc...), in public, at indoor spaces, and remove the fear that has been introduced by the mainstream media and political figures.

We are not discounting the severity of this virus, but we do feel that time will tell if we as a society acted accordingly with reason, rationality, and responsible discernment about how we dealt with it...or if we acted out of fear through irrational, conflicting, hypocritical, and opinionated, unfounded ways. In the end, the truth shall prevail (100% factual statistics) and it's hard to argue with numbers (but numbers can also be skewed because not all cases of COVID-19 are not 100% COVID-19 related even though some news sources say they are...and there are false positive tests that have come out as well). There are so many examples we can provide of people acting in irrational, unfounded, conflicting ways that it would take up an entire article all by themselves, but here are a couple: 1. We've seen people literally dive out of the way of a person on a run or a bike ride at a park. By the time someone is running or biking past someone, they're way past them and maybe have had an interaction for a second or two (or maybe not at all depending on how fast the person was running or exercising). 2. We've seen people walk to the other side of the road when soemone is approaching them. To us, that looks like everyone is your enemy now. If you were to look at this from an outsider's point of view, it seems a bit much. We shouldn't think of everyone we come in contact with as an enemy, but this is what happens when fear is implanted in popular culture. 3. We've seen people wear a mask inside at a family function only to take it off for eating a meal (for a good hour or so), to only put it back on for the remainder of the gathering. Why even put it back on once you take it off, or better yet, why even wear it at all to begin with? In our eyes, it is putting on a show as taking it off for that long negates the need to wear it in the first place. 4. We've heard discussions from people saying that just because you don't experience symptons of the virus doesn't mean you couldn't be a carrier and then pass it along to someone else. While this might (key word is MIGHT) be true, it doesn't mean that we ought to shelter ourselves away and feel guilty for living our lives the way we would like to live them (within reason). And, if someone really was a carrier but experienced no symptons, that means that their immune system is strong. This is a good thing. The vaccine isn't for everyone, and maybe a person of this nature doesn't need to have the vaccine, or be made to feel bad about deciding not to receive it. Why should that limit them from living their life to the fullest and experiencing eveything else the rest of the world is? Bottom line is that it shouldn't. There is a thing called herd immunity, and this is a great way to acheive it--to be exposed to something in small increments or doses so our bodies can bulid up the antibodies to fight something off in the present and in the future. It behooves us to be exposed to these viruses so our immune system can learn to adapt, grow, and fight off these viruses. If all of us shelter for a long period of time, all of our immune system's will be shot and things will be that much worse when returning to the wild, so to speak.

But, we digress.

Why do we bring all of this up? Because we feel it is important to reflect on the important things in life, and this is most certainly one of those important things. Instead of just burying it down deep inside and not talking about it, we like to bring things out into the forefront for discussion so as to encourage people to really think for themsleves and make up their own minds based upon the information we have at hand at the time. We don't believe in brainwashing (through the media), and feel there has been some of that going on through fear based tactics and schemes. We do believe in thinking deeply and using rationality, reason, and responsible discernment (AKA common sense) when dealing with anything that happens in life. This could be with relationships, experiences/situations, work, and any other area that involves using our brain to make the most informed and best decision for ourselves and our loved ones.

Hope this finds you well and sparks a new thought or idea for you on this Fantastic Friday!