Covid Scare

(Disclaimer: What I am about to say is just one opinion. I do not represent any organization. I’ll be out on a limb with this one and It may be controversial. And I don’t claim to know it all. Take it with a grain of salt.) 

After arriving from a Monday night meeting, I was informed that my daughter (who lives with us) might have Covid. Apparently, one of her friends she had celebrated New Year with had tested positive.

You hear about these things all the time but reality doesn’t really sink in unless you live with someone who has Covid. My first responsibility was to inform everyone I had contact with since New Year. Of course that started a chain of concern among my friends. Then I worried about confinement. Wondered if I needed to wear a facemask even inside the house … even while I slept. Wondered about touching the door handles, the dishes, the refrigerator, etc. I thought about setting up a fan directed out the window to blow out any Covid particles in her room.

This was the last thought before I went to bed. No surprise, I had a nightmare about alien lifeforms that replaced its host after contact. It was like the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” It chased me and my family around. I asked myself “why fight it? What was the worst that could happen? Die? And then what? I’d go to heaven.” (My faith was strong even in my dream). So I stopped running. It caught me. But I didn’t really die. In fact. I just became untouchable. That’s when I woke up.

I figured Covid is like the alien trying to take over our bodies … take over our lifestyle. I also thought about the conspiracy theories about the news media, the so-called scientists, big pharma and the politicians. Some people are cashing in on our dilemma and continue to instill fear to keep their money flowing. Of course there are many other theories out there. One thing’s for sure: whoever told the lies (or backed the lies) will not admit their mistakes. For me that’s what is really frustrating. Where is justice? Can’t blame them —-  why stop the lying when there are no consequences?

I learned about Omicron (being more contagious but less deadly) a week or so after it was identified. The spread was rapid but there were zero deaths (today there are only maybe 10 deaths related to Omicron out of the millions who contracted it in the whole world). Most didn’t even need hospitalization.

Many thought I was absurd. Many thought I was irresponsible to spread that lie. It’s been maybe 2 months now and the data seems to back my belief. (Let me know if your data proves otherwise). Many now say this is actually a blessing in disguise because people who contract it develop an immunity. (Immunity and not vaccine is the real solution). This immunity will spread and this could end this Covid pandemic. Good news for us. Bad news for the profiteers.

May I suggest, we listen to who and what people in the news are saying. Keep our lie detectors on and we will easily spot the money and power-hungry profiteers. Then ask ourselves why we  still listen to them. How many times have they been proven wrong? Fool us once, shame on them. Fool us twice … well, you know.

My daughter seems to be back to normal. I had a slight headache but I shook it off. Everyone at home seems to be normal. I have a Covid test tomorrow. I going not for myself but for others … to make sure I am safe for them.  I still wear a mask when I am out in public. I’m still careful. But I’m not scared. Are you still scared?

TGIF people!

Raoul

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Meg of Whittier, CA. for this joke.

Video of the week

Not so fast. Are you really safe wearing that facemask? Thanks to Mike of New York for this disturbing video.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for these cartoons.

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Color Blind

Someone called me a racist the other day. I was shocked that someone would call me that just because I was critical about the violent activity of some people who just happened to be of a certain culture. I don’t think I became defensive … no use debating someone whose mind was already made up … I just took the insult in and pondered about it.

Yesterday I got a very uplifting compliment from one of the Mexican handymen I work with. Fernando said he has worked with many people but there was something about me that was different. “You are the nicest person” he said. And then he hugged me. That was a Kodak moment — a heavyset, stocky short Mexican hugging a lean, aging, 6 foot Asian. We laughed.

The other day, a Hindu friend, was sharing what life is like without his wife. Raj is planning on a European cruise but what’s a cruise without someone to share the adventure with? He asked me if I knew someone who’d like to go with him. I’m working on it.

Last week, a friend from Tanzania asked me for advice as he was purchasing a lot of computers for his homeland. Whenever Kunta calls, he laughs. He says he loves to hear my smiling voice. He wants to get into some kind of business with me. We dream about importing and exporting stuff — copper, emerald, coffee beans, leather goods, pistacio nuts … African stuff. We even have a jungle junket in mind. Even if nothing comes out of these talks, we just enjoy brainstorming about our global enterprise.

Some of my best friends are not of the same skin color as me … not the same age as me. They may have different religious and political ideologies, different sexual preferences, but that’s fine with me. We’re all part of the human race.

I believe people (even those with good intentions) who harp at our differences play a losing game. For them, there’s always an abuser and a victim (and they’re never the abuser). I was in a meeting led by a Guatemalan American. Out of nowhere, Gertrude told him she empathized with his being South American. She practically said “you should feel bad because of your dark skin.” The teacher was visibly shaken. He probably never considered himself anything but American … even I had never looked at him through colored lenses … heck! his skin was even lighter than mine. Gertrude brought the mirror into the room. How did that help?

When someone has a pimple on his nose, do you point it out? I grew up with a someone who stuttered. We were told not to mind it. The stuttering went away.

So when someone calls you a racist, chances are, it isn’t because they really know you. Maybe it’s because they are trying to force you into their worldview. Who needs to fit into a world shaped by bitterness and self importance?

But this is just me. TGIF people!

Raoul

“Your journey to peace starts when you stop debating the uninformed, reasoning with the unreasonable, and bantering with fools.” –— Anonymous

Thanks to Mel of Washington, D.C.

Videos of the Week

Thanks to Rodney of Manitoba, B.C, for this elevator prank.

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. for this inspirational video

Parting Shots

Thanks to Kathy of Bend, Oregon

Thanks to Cheryl of Temple City, CA

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA

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