Defiance in The Time of Corona
COVID-19 Links:
WHO (World Health Organization)
I’ve stopped and restarted this piece, trying to find a nice way to rant. I even took a day off, resting in bed, and avoiding all news. Yet as soon as I picked up my phone, there were the (old and new) headlines — defiance, defiance, defiance. I found myself working blue in my native Chicagoan language, glaring at videos, headlines, and accounts of people still gathering 10+ people deep like COVID-19 is just some mutated flu or cold that we can look over, and take two pills every eight hours to fix. If it’s not a nonchalant attitude, it is collections of emotional fools acting like common human decency is too hard to execute. Have their Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers failed them?
At the start of this pandemic, my aunt and I went shopping at our local Dollar Store. This was weeks before the rise of daily updates, maps, and panic about toilet paper and masks. While some of the shelves were empty, she and I were comparing bleach prices and discussing which bathroom would get what in an aisle full of cleaning products. Those were the days. In the midst of our cheerful banter of Clorox and salsas, a guy approaches us and pours his heart out. I don’t know if it was my fluffy afro, pink earrings, Abbey Road tee, and bright face that got to him, or my aunt’s holy disposition…but he just started talking to us about having to learn how to turn the other cheek and maintain his sanity while older women shoved and hissed at him. He was out in this world, “from North Carolina to Tennessee tryin’ to find some supplies for my [his] people!”
I pitied the man as he told us his story. A stroke survivor, a good man just trying to get by, and the man of the house who needed this and that, but was starting to have trouble finding it. Who knew that his story would replicate itself in the words and experiences of others? Stories of toilet paper fights, stealing supplies, and all-out brawls for the basics? Rudeness to staff who still have to work various “essential jobs” just to make sure full-fledged chaos doesn’t rattle the nation, with a side of virtual insanity to make sure warehouses have nothing (and you don’t have it either)! Who knew that people would hoard and take advantage of others, drastically raising prices online for things that barely cost 7 bucks on a good day? Never in my life have I seen a four-pack of toilet paper cost 20 dang dollars. Yet prior to sites such as Amazon and eBay eliminating hoarders and price gougers, I was finding incredibly high and ridiculous prices on home basics and bathroom necessities as if we were all headed toward a Mad Max kind of world.
Never in my life did I think I’d be seeing folks betray, cheat, and hurt their fellow man when all of us are going through something. We’re worried, afraid, adjusting, and a collection of many other feelings and modes. Kudos to those with cooler heads who’re above human feeling, but I’ve got a big bone to pick with the defiant. I realize that not even a national decree can stop people, but you’d think that the symptoms and how Coronavirus travels would deter folks. Diagrams of intubation (Google it…) should and would turn anyone off! We have been asked not to gather in groups of 10+, while large metropolitan areas within states like NY, NJ, CA, and MI are seeing thousands of confirmed cases and thousands more dying. It sounds like the kinds of things that would make a person re-organize their life and stay indoors (or at least lessen their activities to necessity runs and going out for air, unless instructed by local authorities to stay indoors completely.) and stay posted like everyone else. Yet in all human boldness, people are still going out. People are still gathering. Illness tolls continue to rise, supplies are running out, and the term “flatten the curve” has become nothing more than a social media hashtag with little meaning. The world as we know it is changing, yet people still refuse to acknowledge it. When does that happen, at the last minute?
The Bold & The Foolish
I wish I had the boldness of my fellow Americans, but I’m one of those people who have a pre-existing illness that could kill me if I catch this virus. I’m 35, dipping in and out of writing a makeshift will, and looking back at my asthma scare from 2019 that almost killed me. I wasn’t properly medicated and saw my life flash before my eyes as it took me 2 hours to climb 13 stairs to my room to my breathing treatment kit. I lost thirty pounds wheezing and over-medicating myself with rescue inhalers and Asthmanefrin, just so I could breathe. There were moments where my heart was racing at 140 bpm, and I was sure that my family was going to come home and find me laid out and gone to my next life. I have had the flu, I have had bronchitis, and I’ve had asthma off and on since 1987 — I want no part of COVID-19, and I don’t want to be around careless people who refuse to take this seriously. I cannot afford to lose my life just because somebody else has cabin fever, and doesn’t want to follow the rules. We have the freedom to shop and run a few errands in some states. All we’ve been asked is to practice good hygiene, take precautionary and preventative measures, and wear masks when we go out. Is that so absolutely complicated?
As I have been compiling this piece all April, I’ve watched the same people who told me I was whiny Millennial/Gen Y entitled snowflake trash gripe about ice cream, haircare, and golf. GOLF? They’re gathering to protest (and attack essential medical staff…) about freedom, in the middle of a pandemic…outside. Pardon my sass, but the kind of freedom they’re asking for comes with a risky price of great illness…and death for the unfortunate. DEATH. Find a YouTube video to help with your golf game. Lose the attitude and learn how to navigate the Internet to order what you need. Get some help if you don’t know how! Mo’ power to anyone willing to die for a SuperCuts trim ’n’ style and a scoop of Very Berry Strawberry ice cream. I called InstaCart and tipped+thanked my shopper well when I really needed some stuff. We are making do in this house by doing our own hair and eating Kroger brand frozen treats. My grandmother, rest her soul, taught me how to make do.
I believe that it’s absolutely selfish to still host events and gatherings. No one is saying you can’t practice your faith, celebrate life events, or catch a (conscious and careful) breath of air. We’re being asked to find better, safer, and healthier ways to do so. Not only to protect ourselves, but to protect those who cannot — namely the elderly, folks who have pre-existing conditions, and small children and babies. While the percentages may be high for certain races and age groups, this virus is not leaving any stone unturned. Why are so many people willing to put themselves in the line of fire, “just because”? Why is the forbidden fruit of rebellion so lucrative and inspirational? With all the information and diagrams constantly explaining how this virus spreads, survives, and thrives, you’d think that boldness would be on the back burner simmering quietly for another day.
Altruism, Wisdom, Faith & Consideration
My uncle is a pastor of a church in Nashville, TN. His schedule usually calls for him to be out of town on Sundays and Wednesdays. There are times when he and his wife may leave earlier to attend events and moments when they’re gone for a week or so. In other words, the church is a big part of his life. Calls to action are heeded, members of his church adore him, and he loves teaching and connecting. As much as it hurt him, he had to cancel those events. He had to think of his flock, which is composed of a lot of people over 50 years old. His church is in one of the southern hotbeds of the COVID-19 virus. I’m sure he would have never forgiven himself if something happened to any of his people, had he decided to continue traveling to Nashville. As much as he loves his congregation, and as deeply as he is tied to his faith, he made the wise decision to stay at home. He advised them to do the same, opting to post sermons online and hold Bible study over conference calls. He’s learning how to go live, and he’s making adjustments to make sure he can still reach his people and practice his calling. The first week bothered him, but he made it very clear — now is the time to practice safety.
He himself is a heart patient and cancer survivor. So, putting himself on the line would have also been fatal. He could have been infected, his wife, yours truly, and anyone in contact with him. As many hugs, kisses, and handshakes as he gives/gets, the virus could have spread itself within hours. Cases of spreading contact through interpersonal activity are obviously possible, and this is yet another reason why I’ve got such a bone to pick — defiance is killing us left and right. You might not know everyone, but stay at home. Stay 6ft away to save lives. You might miss friends and family, but compromised folks, and the chronically ill are dependent on thoughtful actions, not selfish ones. You may very well test positive and be asymptomatic, or have a mild case you can power through, but others may not have that experience. This is deeper than a case of “what about me”. In the midst of the fear, updates, drama, and unsureness plaguing all aspects of life, we need to take this seriously and think of others. This isn’t “hippie love-in rhetoric”, this is a means of survival.
Are death and illness so common in our society that even flock leaders are unmoved? Do people think they’re above this virus, using faith as an excuse to deny sense? It’s possible to have faith AND sense. We’ve all got some form of cabin fever, but this is a time to choose life, not death. This is a time for all the so-called bootstraps to be pulled. Our lives will not be the same. Now is not the time for nonchalant write-offs and a tinfoil mentality. I don’t recommend running around like a headless hen, but I highly recommend common sense. It’s free, easy to develop, and maybe will help stop people from hoarding.
Veronica Williams is a Chicago native, currently residing in the small town of Paris, TN. She writes poetry, has self-published a few bodies of work and is currently married to the night. She is an aspiring writer, self-proclaimed night owl, origami star machine, and dark roast coffee enthusiast.
