A few nights ago, I again had a dream that I was being chased by a dinosaur. This isn’t the first time a t-rex has stalked my slumber, it is actually a recurring dream of mine dating back to childhood that I’ve since grown to anticipate because it’s positively thrilling. In my latest nocturnal vision, the beast’s body was covered in red scales ranging from crimson to burgundy. In comparison to its sheer size and girth, my body was proportionate in scale to a mosquito. Despite this disadvantage, I didn’t run from it. I didn’t retreat. I stood and fought with the might of an army.
Dreams often don’t make sense but sometimes neither does reality.
Life was never easy but there was always the illusion of normalcy that we could naively count on for its moments of relative monotony. Over the past several months, the world lost the comfort that predictability offered. Our new normal is physically distancing, staying at home, adjusting expectations and expecting safety in the smallest of measures. But that seems to matter only to a portion of the population. Increasingly, in the span of mere weeks, a boisterous group is measuring the worth of others for how useful they are towards the machinations of capitalism and willing to sacrifice those in their community as needed to maintain their own comfort. It’s disturbing to watch unfold in real life, in real time. The veil of fellowship is opaque.
Examples of this on the North American continent include the following:
The Mayor of Las Vegas recently conducted an interview where she admitted to offering her city as a “control group” for Covid-19 because casinos were suffering. She was denied from doing so by experts.
Then the President of the United States made the erroneous suggestion that injecting bleach and other disinfectants directly into the body could possibly clean out the virus in minutes. He later stated it was an off-hand remark meant to test reporters and journalists. The continued irresponsible and downright idiotic behaviour of the leader of the most powerful nation on earth is literally a threat to all humanity. All in the name of business. All in the name of keeping dividends flowing and supporters pacified.
And just this week, gun-toting protesters stormed Michigan’s Capital building to demand an end to the stay-at-home order. People are going to die anyway is the common refrain. What they don’t publicly say is “as long as it’s not me”.
In this regard, the United States is far more a wild west shitshow than Canada. For the most part, the response of our elected leaders has been reasoned. But we do have our moments.
“We are fighting against a federal program that is actually paying people to stay out of the workforce right now. I don't like the fact that that is real, but that is real. People are being paid to stay home and not work."
The Premiere of my home province recently had choice words against federal financial support programs to help workers affected by Covid-19. His statement failed to account for the number of people laid off or with hours reduced so drastically they won’t be able to pay their bills through no fault of their own and disingenuously absolves his government of further aid for citizens which is something governments are elected to do in times of crisis. Not surprisingly, he also didn’t reflect on the responsibility of business owners to implement safety measures in the work environment. The ability to do one’s job from home is not a solution for every industry. Since PPE sourcing is still difficult to acquire and without guarantees that employers can meet basic recommended measures to help slow the spread of the virus, employees should have a choice on whether they wish to work in conditions that can potentially become a matter of life or death. That isn’t laziness or cheating the system, which is what the Premiere implied. It’s a valid concern currently expressed by front-line and essential workers, never mind everyone else that will eventually be impacted. Attempting to continue on as normal in a situation that is unprecedented with risk can be a dangerous endeavour.
We all contribute a part in building a nation.
But we also all have a role in building community.
Our “new normal” is probably going to be here for awhile. It may not make sense right now but it is our reality.
We should aim to assist those most vulnerable, not degrade their existence.
We need to adapt to nature, not the stock market.
We should praise and pedestal those who truly deserve it.