The Spector of Suffering

Here we are, many months into this pandemic, with no end in sight.  When it first began, I think many people, including myself, thought it would be a short-lived problem.  But now as we get into it further and further, there is no end in sight and thousands of people have died and continue to die.

You would think that people would come together during this terrible time to fight against this disease.  Not so.  More than ever, there is arguing, fighting, corruption, protests, riots, and dispair.

One of the things people are arguing about, is whether or not wearing a mask slows the spread of COVID-19.  Most experts agree that it is beneficial to wear a mask, so in some areas there are mask mandates, which means you have to wear a mask whenever you are in public.  Many people are extremely angry about this because they think masks don't help and they think the government is trying to control them.

I could be very wrong, but it is my own speculation that people who don't want to wear a mask have never experienced an exceptionally painful, life-threatening illness.  Because let me tell you, I have experienced such a thing, and I would do just about anything to prevent having to go through that again; the least of which is wearing a mask while in public. 

I have had illness where I literally couldn't move without getting very dizzy and vomiting.  I layed on the couch for two days and barely slept because of excessive stomach pain.  I have been to the emergency room and to several doctors who did little but tell me it might be an inner ear problem.  My point is, once you have been that sick, you appreciate a healthy, pain-free life so much more, and you fear feeling that terrible so much that you will do a great many things that might even remotely prevent it from happening again.

From what I hear about COVID-19, it can be quite painful, and also have a negative impact on your health for the rest of your life.  So you bet I am going to do simple things like wear a mask and wash my hands and not have close contact with a lot of people.  I know what it is like to suffer to the point that life is almost unbearable, and I am eager to do what I can to prevent myself from feeling that way again.

Those who are not eager, probably have never suffered to that extreme, or don't believe there is actually a pandemic.  In any case I would say, it doesn't matter to me if there is actually a pandemic.  Just the threat that there might be is enough to make me change my behavior slightly, if only to have a chance to spare myself and others from suffering.  

Once you have been through hell, you never want to go back.   You many have survived, but until you do die, you will live with the spector of suffering.

It's in the Details

Last time I wrote a post I had high hopes of writing more often, but of course life happened and that didn't pan out at all. I suppose that's just the way life is. You do what you can, when you can and you learn to be OK with that. Anyway, I have had this idea in my mind for a post for a long time, and now I have an excuse to finally write it because my husband got my this fabulous new tablet with keyboard for our anniversary. (Isn't he the greatest?) However, before I begin my main topic, I have to apologize for any misspellings that occur. It seems that Blogger has removed the spell check feature, and while I consider myself a decent speller, I am not fool-proof. I really hope that feature is returned to Blogger, since I know of very few people who don't use spell check while writing on a computer. I'm a little annoyed to be honest. But enough of that. 

 I am a very detail-oriented person, so it would be of no surprise to anyone that I notice when other people miss details......a lot. In fact, it's to the point that I see so many details overlooked, that I wonder if I am just extraordinarily gifted at seeing details or other people are just careless and lazy. I am leaning toward the latter. 

 I wouldn't care so much, except I think others are missing out on many wonderful things, or they are making my job harder. For instance, when exact time is of importance, I make note of the time and make sure I don't go over my allowed time. But others don't seem to notice it much at all, or only pay attention if it is something that benefits them, and so I have to remind them of the time over and over if I am the one in charge. Also, people miss amazing and beautiful things by tromping around and being loud and unobservant - a small sound, a quiet voice, a little treasure, a special moment. 

 Maybe that is just the culture now. People are brought up to make sure that they stand out, even if that means squashing everyone else. If they would just pay a little more attention, however, they might learn the value of someone or something other than themselves.