Individual Responsibility is the Bottom Line During the Transition From Quarantine

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Abstract

America are crumbling before our eyes. Just like a stale donut, people.It is time to stop blaming each other for all the problems and begin to address and fix them. If the federal government cannot or will not help, then we need to demand state governments make a better effort. If not the state, then the mayors of cities, leaders of municipalities, citizen initiatives. And if that doesn’t work, we need to take up the slack and do it ourselves. A tall order, but I bet we can get a lot accomplished if we work at it.For example, look at the grassroots mask-making effort. As soon as we noticed that there was some sort of confusion and ineptitude about getting personal protective equipment to front line workers, while our leadership was dithering over whether or not it was needed and how much, by whom, etc., thousands of sewing people all over the country found patterns and fabric and elastics and ribbons and began creating masks.My sister in law in Colorado mailed masks to us she had sewn. Family and friends stopped by to give us masks. Different friends made masks for the volunteers at the food pantry or the workers at the grocery store. Everywhere you turned, people were making masks.Back then, authorities were saying these kinds of fabric masks weren’t enough for nurses and doctors, people on the front line in healthcare. Then L.L. Bean and other companies stepped up and started making better quality masks for those medical needs. Some hospitals brought in sewing machines and sewers and began making masks and gowns for themselves.And the fabric masks turned out to be better than not wearing a mask, better than spewing viral-filled saliva all over the products at the grocery store, or your neighbors’ face. So the sewing brigade grew and flourished. We learned

Options

as we went. Despite the government, we have been making masks happen.Some politicize the pandemic, twisting the data, obfuscating the CDC recommendations, and firing anyone who doesn’t follow the party line. This is treasonous to me. To push aside concern for people’s lives to support a political agenda is just plain evil.If your “I can’t live like this” button gets pushed too many times, just take a look at the list of names on the front page of the New York Times and remember this all happened in three short months, over a million people dead in the United States of America.In this time of transition, we are starting to figure out ways to live in some semblance of normality: getting our groceries while following the safety precautions, getting a haircut with a stylist wearing a face shield, eating outside at the restaurant when possible and washing carefully afterward.All of these things are new, and some are uncomfortable. If your “I can’t live like this” button gets pushed too many times, just take a look at the list of names on the front page of the New York Times and remember this all happened in three short months, over a million people dead in the United States of America. And it may get a lot worse in a few months. Sure, there is a precedent for this kind of leadership. The one that comes to mind is Nazism.I have decided to wear the mask, stay home, keep away from neighbors, sanitize, wash and rewash my hands. And then do whatever else is necessary to help those people who are not able to work, have no food, or need emotional support. The next step is to find out what else I can do to encourage our leaders to do better. We are, and always have been, ultimately responsible. Friends, the buck stops with you and me.</article></body>

The buck stops here

This is a confusing time for everyone, I think. When we were ordered to close down our activities and shelter in place for a month, it seemed pretty clear what we ought to do and why.

Now, as some states start to reopen, and others are still closed, we are less sure. Some people protest the government overstepping individual rights by closing everything and making bad decisions by restricting opening. Others insist that it is not yet safe to reopen. Some businesses are open, and others are not. Some people are getting financial support, and others are not. We are all in the dark about what is happening with needed medical supplies, testing, vaccines, and randomly suggested treatments for the virus.

It is time to stop blaming each other for all the problems and begin to address and fix them

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 continues to rise along with the growing number of people who die. People wearing masks are glared at by people not wearing masks and vice versa, making it somewhat unfriendly, if not dangerous at times, to go out in public. Political opinion, conspiracy theories, and downright lies are tainting our information. It is not easy to know what is true or false. When have we ever been in more of a pickle in this country?

If we are to have any control of the transitional part of our lives, it is up to us to do what leadership cannot do. Our systems in America are crumbling before our eyes. Just like a stale donut, people.

It is time to stop blaming each other for all the problems and begin to address and fix them. If the federal government cannot or will not help, then we need to demand state governments make a better effort. If not the state, then the mayors of cities, leaders of municipalities, citizen initiatives. And if that doesn’t work, we need to take up the slack and do it ourselves. A tall order, but I bet we can get a lot accomplished if we work at it.

For example, look at the grassroots mask-making effort. As soon as we noticed that there was some sort of confusion and ineptitude about getting personal protective equipment to front line workers, while our leadership was dithering over whether or not it was needed and how much, by whom, etc., thousands of sewing people all over the country found patterns and fabric and elastics and ribbons and began creating masks.

My sister in law in Colorado mailed masks to us she had sewn. Family and friends stopped by to give us masks. Different friends made masks for the volunteers at the food pantry or the workers at the grocery store. Everywhere you turned, people were making masks.

Back then, authorities were saying these kinds of fabric masks weren’t enough for nurses and doctors, people on the front line in healthcare. Then L.L. Bean and other companies stepped up and started making better quality masks for those medical needs. Some hospitals brought in sewing machines and sewers and began making masks and gowns for themselves.

And the fabric masks turned out to be better than not wearing a mask, better than spewing viral-filled saliva all over the products at the grocery store, or your neighbors’ face. So the sewing brigade grew and flourished. We learned as we went. Despite the government, we have been making masks happen.

Some politicize the pandemic, twisting the data, obfuscating the CDC recommendations, and firing anyone who doesn’t follow the party line. This is treasonous to me. To push aside concern for people’s lives to support a political agenda is just plain evil.

If your “I can’t live like this” button gets pushed too many times, just take a look at the list of names on the front page of the New York Times and remember this all happened in three short months, over a million people dead in the United States of America.

In this time of transition, we are starting to figure out ways to live in some semblance of normality: getting our groceries while following the safety precautions, getting a haircut with a stylist wearing a face shield, eating outside at the restaurant when possible and washing carefully afterward.

All of these things are new, and some are uncomfortable. If your “I can’t live like this” button gets pushed too many times, just take a look at the list of names on the front page of the New York Times and remember this all happened in three short months, over a million people dead in the United States of America. And it may get a lot worse in a few months. Sure, there is a precedent for this kind of leadership. The one that comes to mind is Nazism.

I have decided to wear the mask, stay home, keep away from neighbors, sanitize, wash and rewash my hands. And then do whatever else is necessary to help those people who are not able to work, have no food, or need emotional support. The next step is to find out what else I can do to encourage our leaders to do better. We are, and always have been, ultimately responsible. Friends, the buck stops with you and me.