Over the past few weeks, I’ve checked out of most media and entertainment sources due to the ongoing Covid pandemic. I’ve grown annoyed with the repeated fear-mongering on various news companies, the lack of intelligent commentary from the federal government, and an even slower uptake of facts and science from my state government. All of the commercials and PSAs about “Together Apart” and “Alone Together” serve only to remind me of how far from a factual response to this pandemic this country has traveled. Instead, debate on when and how to reopen has landed firmly in the trenches of emotional sensationalism and political divides. There is no common sense or reasoned logic to be found among the media or any of its sources or followers when it comes to the Covid discussion.

So what have I been doing? Well, forward momentum on my current novel WIP has stalled to a near standstill. I add a few paragraphs to the latest chapter every other week or so. I’ve been listening to a couple of podcasts put out by Supernatural cast members; they’ve been interesting each in their own ways, despite occasional responses of eye-rolling. I bought new strings and picks for my guitar in hopes of finally teaching myself to play. But mostly, I’ve been listening to narrated Reddit stories on YouTube in the hopes of finding examples of human stupidity which go beyond the constant stream of Covid idiocy. And of course, I’ve been working at my day job from the not-so-comfortable setting of my home (not all of my work resources are of a digital nature and cannot be physically moved from their location at my office).

Ultimately, I have come to find that several sad conclusions I’ve developed over the years have been distressingly re-enforced over these past few weeks:

1. Sound policy and emergency response strategies can only be coordinated and instated through understanding of real-world data and scientific study.
2. Science as known by our government is based far too deeply into hypothetical computer models to provide any solid conclusions on which to base policy.
3. Politics has devolved into appeals to emotion because too many people allow themselves to be manipulated by emotion, both in leadership and among constituents.
4. Emotional manipulation only serves to drive the political parties further apart in their ideologies and understanding of their opponents’ positions on a vast array of topics.
5. This pandemic, as a polarizing disaster, will continue to expand the political divide, and the idea of “the world will never be the same” applies more to this division than it does to the concept of daily life post-lockdowns.
6. The coddling of Americans by academic institutions and social policies has led to an overwhelming stupidity among a significant portion of the population whom have given up on thinking for themselves.

In conclusion, society is devolving, because people are too attached to emotions and not invested enough in reason.

Apologies for this depressing post, but you get what you get.

Hezzie