A Quiet Rebellion
You want to know my secret? The beliefs I stuff deep down in my being and clench my teeth when the urge to share arises?
Tradition is merely peer pressure from the dead.
We go through meaningless motions - ceremonies, formalities, intricate dances of the social realm - for what?
Because that's how we've always done it and that's what's expected of us.
Expected by whom? Family? Colleagues? Society? Why?
Because that's how we've always done it and that's what's expected of us.
Surely the bride and groom do not need an attendance of a hundred or more to profess their undying love, a union most personal and private. Surely wearing a suit and tie does not make one better at their respective career, no more so than a firm handshake makes one a more accomplished man. And surely a lavish funeral brings no comfort to the already deceased.
So why do we bother ourselves with these unecessary formalities, these and a thousand more?
Because that's how we've always done it and that's what's expected of us.
Tradition is the demise of social evolution.
Tradition is the enemy of progress.
Tradition is death.
It’s just a DOT away
I had always wanted a tattoo. I just never imagined my first would be government mandated.
Sometime in February 2021, VacTat ads blasted through social media and billboards covered the land.
Vaccine discovered – We’ve got you covered!
End the bad dream – Get the vaccine!
VacTat: Protection in a SNAP
“VacTat won’t hurt at all,” the health officials said. The vaccine would be administered with quantum dot technology, which I still don’t quite understand how it works.
Something about nanocrystals and light. It would be barely visible to the naked eye until scanned. You could choose colors for when it lit up under the scanner – for the kids I guess – but it’s not like you could choose a design or placement. Had to be right thumb. Knuckle side.
The logo for the VacTat ad campaign was 6 different colored fists raised in unison, to represent the 6 continents (minus Antarctica) ravaged by the virus. There were small but noticeable dots on each fist’s thumb. They were punching away the virus.
The world was on fire with the inception of VacTat. Politicians, healthcare professionals and influential voices lauded VacTat. Critics and skeptics vehemently decried the cutting-edge medical tattoo as invasive and easy to misuse. Holy rollers called it the Mark of the Beast. There were heated debates on talk shows and flame wars igniting online forums. Small pockets of resistance demonstrated on the streets in every country.
But the world had had enough of negativity.
The virus had choked the life out of 5 million people worldwide. Mass graves were common sights in major cities. Food and supply shortages shook the world market to its knees. Unprecedented unemployment had decimated economies. Unfettered inflation had devalued money and hard-earned savings had been wiped out. Millions were living on pittance from the government and food banks had replaced grocery stores indefinitely. Residential streets were peppered with shuttered homes and wind whistled through broken windows of ghostly office buildings nestled in overgrowth. Suicide rates spiked worldwide.
After more than a year oscillating between limited movement and total lockdown (due to the virus recurring after every attempt to loosen restrictions), the planet’s exasperated public was jubilant upon hearing a vaccine had been found. Millions desperately wanted to get back to any semblance of normalcy. We were prisoners of an invisible captor.
We yearned for freedom and safety.
VacTat promised that. And more.
Progress is spelled V-A-C-T-A-T
_____________________________________________________________________
While we remained locked down in our homes, our governments had been setting up infrastructures ahead of VacTat’s rollout. VacTat scanners had been implemented just about everywhere, from courthouses to public toilets.
The tattoo, they said, was to be so much more than just a vaccination.
And it would make life so much easier to live.
Once they laid out the details, it became clear just how revolutionary VacTat would be.
It could hold your entire medical history, your passport and identification information. It would store your credit score, your various registrations, your criminal record. No need to remember passwords and codes – all would be stored in the app and uploaded into your hand. It had GPS capabilities. It could monitor your heart rate and act as a more accurate FitBit.
On top of being a health monitor, VacTat would be a stress reliever. Dexaleros had recently been touted as a safe alternative to antidepressant and anti-anxiety meds – to which millions of people had become heavily addicted to during the pandemic. Drug and alcohol abuse had skyrocketed during the lockdown, as did domestic abuse. Since VacTat would be able to accurately sense when a person was angry or stressed, the quantum dots of VacTat would automatically release Dexaleros into the blood stream, giving the subject a warm wash of tranquility and pleasant feelings.
With a quick scan you would be able to use public transport and pass through tollbooths. You could connect it to Alexa and other smart devices. You could link up all your debit and credit card accounts and with the swipe of your hand, pay for anything.
There had been a lot of talk that cash and credit cards were treacherous magnets for bacteria. The WHO and the United Nations agreed that cash and cards would eventually have to be phased out to help keep the world safe from another plague.
So, all the world’s physical money will be abolished within 2 years and replaced with global cryptocurrency. A social credit system will be implemented to maintain order and incentivize good moral practices, like that Black Mirror episode – just not as bleak. They haven’t released a plan yet, but based on what I’ve read, it seems that for every positive action, we will receive points. Accrue enough points and people can exchange them for cryptocurrency or benefits. I’m not sure what happens for negative actions.
I’ve never been very good at making money. The corporate world never appealed to me. I always preferred doing a variety of odd jobs and enjoyed getting to know people through them – an affable jack of all trades, if you will. I make enough to get by, but it’s the true human connections I’ve made along the way that make living worthwhile. I’d always maintained a decent credit score, never dipped lower than a 4.8 on ridesharing apps, and never been banned on social media. Never had any brushes with the law and always paid my bills on time.
Some people are a little (or extremely) wary about the social credit aspect, but honestly, I consider it a silver lining. It’s about time merit took precedence over capital. A society incentivizing people to be better citizens is far superior to a society incentivizing people to be greedy and selfish.
It was impossible to hold out hope while the virus collectively gutted us.
It was impossible to think about the future if we were to have one at all.
But better days are here again.
I genuinely believe that my future will be better than the one I was forced to leave behind.
_____________________________________________________________________
I received a government text in April with the location, day, and time I would have my VacTat placed.
Weeks later I pulled on my mask, slapped on my latex gloves, and waited in a line that snaked around the block at my local pharmacy. Everyone stood the mandatory 6 feet from each other. Helicopters circled overhead. Imposing black SWAT cars were parked around the perimeter. Masked police were positioned along the line, shouting at us to keep the distance. Their K-9s growled if we took too many steps or got too close to another person. I heard some faint Anti-VacTat protest chanting way back at the end of the line around the corner. Several heavily armored police ran around the building. Bloodcurdling screams, several shots, and then silence.
It didn’t feel as euphoric as the VacTat advertisements made Placement Day out to be.
I straightened up and made sure I didn’t overstep my six feet of personal space. My heart was racing with anticipation. My placement was now mere minutes away.
Before he got called in to get his placement, the young guy in front of me turned and joyfully shouted through his N-95 mask, “I’m about to be a free man again, bro!”
I nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
“Happy independence day, my man!” I yelled as he walked into a Placement Room.
As the door closed behind him, I looked down at my hand.
Freedom and safety were now just a quantum dot away.
___ _____ ___________ _____________ __________ _____ _ _ __________ ____ _
#covid19 #coronavirus #vaccine #safety
The New Normal
Without much of a warning, humanity has been thrust into a new normal. The “old normal” has quickly disappeared. No one was expecting it. This has been caused by a worldwide pandemic called the coronavirus. It has covered the entire world like a heavy blanket. It’s as if there’s a new present time, and a before time. Whenever I watch commercials now they appear so strange to me showing a different time and situation. They almost look unreal. They do not reflect current reality of the world.
Most people have been relegated to a lockdown for several weeks or months in the hopes of slowing down the spread of the virus. Some countries have acted aggressively and been quite successful. Others have acted slowly or tried to ignore what was going on, which lost valuable time and lives. It has been incredibly painful to watch and crushes my heart on a regular basis.
I have been lucky to be living overseas with my husband in Morocco which acted very quickly. With only 63 cases of the illness, we went into a full lockdown. We have just completed one month and have started our second month.
I confess there are times I wish I could just run outside and go to my favorite cafe for coffee and breakfast. Or walk up the street to go shopping. Or just be outside exploring. But I can’t and most of the time it doesn’t really bother me that much. I try to exercise a little when I can. My husband has started his own exercise program. I am also a poet and writer so I try to write each day to keep up my regular schedule of writing. But there’s no doubt life isn’t the same. There’s a tension in the air that’s palpable which is always there. The fear of the unknown.
Luckily technology has come to the rescue offering other ways for people to connect like video chat. They have become very popular as a way to communicate. Everyone is zooming. In our case, it offers a way for my husband’s son and other relatives to talk to each other several times a day.
Since the lockdown, my husband and I have cobbled together a loose schedule which helps. Routines can be stabilizing. In the morning we get our breakfast and make a pot of coffee for later. After lunch, we nap. Late afternoon we usually have herbal tea. Then about 6pm, we watch the TV news to check on the latest virus numbers and any new announcements.
It’s hard sometimes as the constant focus is on the virus whether with the news or social media. Some days it’s just too much and I would rather focus on something light.
Perhaps the world is waiting for a superhero to fly in to the rescue. At times I think about the movies I have seen about contagions infecting large populations, but in those, there’s always a cure at the last minute. So far, that hasn’t happened. Reality is proving to be quite different. It looks like we will have to wait more than a year for a viable vaccine. Though scientists are moving at rocket speed. This causes me to wonder sometimes, how will we proceed once the lockdown is lifted? Once there is a vaccine or proven treatments? Will some type of social distancing still remain?
Late at night, before falling asleep, the demons may visit. Fleeting moments when I think about what to do if something happens. Or what if the lockdown continues beyond another month or so. I usually try to keep these thoughts at bay as they can become tortuous.
Through all of this though, people are adapting quickly with online venues, concerts and other art forms. New songs are being written. Some movies and shows are now being offered free or at discounts. Some movies slated for release later in the year have been released early. Many online classes are available for free. Museums have opened up their doors through free virtual tours. I hope this spirit continues into the future when all this passes. Groceries are being ordered online and then delivered in areas where that was not common before.
Kindness and care are growing. People are looking at ways to reach out and help one another. Fashion houses are manufacturing masks for the medical profession, and Dyson started making ventilators along with major auto manufacturers. Young people are inventing devices to help people and doctors. People are thinking beyond themselves. Music artists have given concerts to raise money to help fight the illness.
In many countries at night it has become a regular tradition to open the windows or stand on the balcony to applaud the medical workers and front line staff. They are the new world heroes. In New York City, members of the fire department brought their trucks in front of a major hospital with sirens on to salut the medical staff.
As the world sits paused with empty streets, shops and businesses, the earths’ animals have started to explore and go into cities. This has become their time. Some people even had deer looking into their home windows. Peacocks strut down the streets proudly, while dolphins and whales swim where they haven’t in decades.
Pollution is receding offering cleaner air and bright blue skies. The ozone layer has begun to heal. Los Angeles has blue skies again as do other cities.
While we all sit waiting and hoping for a vaccine and viable treatments, the planet has been moving forward healing itself.
We all crave what’s normal, to go back to our lives. Back to our routines. My question is how has that changed now that we have been forced to pause. Many people have become retrospective looking at their priorities and what really has value. Will social norms and greetings change as well such as shaking hands and hugging? Will there be another new normal after this one? How will we want to rebuild? What will we choose to leave behind?
Perhaps when all is said and done, we might be able to see new possibilities and realize we truly are one. We are human. We are humanity.
With that, hopefully we can really move forward into a new future together.
Change in the Age of Isolation
Locked up, isolating ourselves from a world brimming with animalistic hostility, we recognize the shortcomings of the society we have constructed for ourselves.
We realize the house we have built with our avarice and self-righteousness has a foundation of sand and a frame of matchsticks and scotch tape, ready to unravel with the faintest breath of the wind. A pantry besieged by panicking hens, riled up in a frenzy and pecking one another to death over scraps. Beds that are too rough and too small. A yard littered with the bones of the less fortunate, bleaching out in the sun whilst those within shower them with scorn. All the while the house creaks and groans, threatening to collapse and indiscriminately bury one and all within its rubble.
They say tragedy has a way of bringing people together, but in a nation of individualistic beasts it has driven us further apart; galvinized us in our beliefs that we live and die alone. That one can only ascend by standing on another's shoulders until we are a hysteric mass, kicking and clawing and scrambling over each other to reach the top. Unaware that the top is miles out of sight, let alone reach.
This pandemic has not shattered our society, it has shown us that our society has been shattered for time immemorial. Throughout the nation and throughout the world, the masses fall to their knees and pray things can return to normal, not realizing that deep down, this is the way things always were.
The disease didn't change us, it exposed who we really are, deep in the dark corners of our persona that we ignore and hide and pretend never existed.
So ask yourself: is the world we left behind a world worth going back to?