Niece: “Will they come into our neighborhoods?”
Auntie JNET: “You’re safe. You live far from the city. I don’t think anyone wants to march in the suburbs. It’s a lot of walking just to go trick or treating for candy or go Christmas caroling. Your neighbors and families won’t let anything bad happen to any of you.”
A weekly video call went from sharing the latest family updates, favorite kitten videos, to the state of society in the age of covid. Even though my nieces had the comforts of home and parents entertaining them with board games and sunset family walks, the new normal felt abnormal and wrong. Online birthday parties and drive by visits are tinged with a touch of sadness.
Halloween is on the fence and we are to expect to still be in lockdown during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Why haven’t the grown ups figured if it is safe to go outside and back to school? Why were the experts not in agreement? My nieces said lockdown was hardest for kids. Their world of friends, learning, and laughing together was gone. Childhood had turned somber on them.
Auntie JNET: “Hopefully, the experts are learning more about this new virus and will soon say it’s safe to go back to normal.”
They had good and practical questions which didn’t land well when I decided to seek answers for them. I triggered political buttons among the adults. I was shut down and shamed in social media sites. It’s been discouraging. If I’m feeling the cancelling out of my voice in the current social climate, I can only imagine what kids are feeling daily while they watch the world.
K: “I doubt school will resume for at least a couple of years. Kids will be doing online school until a vaccine comes out.”
I didn’t dishearten my nieces with the cold reality talks I’ve been receiving from uninspiring grownups. The new normal doesn’t inspire them. I tell them to be patient and do something unique during a historical time that I hope will come to pass soon. Life does feel wrong when we’re being told that we are a danger towards one another simply by breathing and need to adjust to the new normal.
Is this the future?
Stay safe. Check on your friends and family. And don’t forget to ask the kids how they feel. They go along with what the grown ups say but may have a storm of thoughts in their head and are being quiet to help not compound your worries.
I can’t believe we’ve been in lockdown for almost EIGHT months.
JNET
Post 280
Based on the data from the last many months, the lockdown should never have happened and is worrisome that they are continuing on with this at all. More doctors and experts are speaking out against the narrative, as well as government officials and their police force trying to squash them and any questioning of their BS narrative.
Jason,
Bringing up the “alternative narrative” gets shot down as “fake news” here in LALA land. I have friends saying it’s a conservative conspiracy theory and that President Trump wants to murder people in blue states. As for those doctors, they are “wacky wacky” and are seeking a bit of fame and momentary attention.
What a time to be alive!
I don’t know how people are cool with lockdown but even the kids are looking at the grownups and thinking they’re not screwed on right. Loads of folks are packing up and leaving the state if they can afford to do so. Still, there’s enough people comfy in their situation locked down. The lockdown doesn’t bother them as much as seeing the rebellious ones not wearing a mask. That gets a bit nasty and mean sometimes. Interesting times.
I’m rooting for the rebellion (secretly). I hope more people speak up and more people listen. Eight months of solitude in spaceship JNET. I am so over this.
I had a bit of a rough patch. I’ve missed writing. Thank you for putting some words to my post. You’re part of the posse that I’ve missed of my hive world. I’m back!
J
Folks are enslaved by their talking points for sure.
Glad you're coming out of your rough patch. If possible, I think it prudent to prepare for another wave of this Koolaid. Food and other necessities. Especially in the more liberal areas such as your locale. Will be curious to see where they have this scripted to go.
I'm not around much anymore, but appreciate being part of your posse. :)
At what point can you say an ASYMPTOMATIC PANDEMIC is "over"??