After months of forced abstinence, I finally sat down (maskless) at my favorite watering hole for a cup of java. It is not by any means a repudiation of the facemask; I am not that irresponsible (stupid). But after getting my second shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, and sitting in an open-air area, I felt reasonably safe from catching or transmitting the virus to anybody.
Like Zorro, I still don’t go anywhere without a mask; it is a common courtesy. I just shudder, looking at throngs of thoughtless (unvaccinated) juveniles partying maskless throughout the night. The virus is an equal opportunity supplier and won’t spare you regardless of your age or your skin color.
The pandemic, no matter what some moonstruck officials are saying, is not something that stops instantly at the flick of a switch. The virus is resilient and crafty; ignore it, and like SMERSH operatives it will inject you surreptitiously with a nerve agent. You will never know what hit you and will end up like Alexei Navalny in some hospital bed fighting for your life.
According to The Charlotte Observer, religious Americans believe that God will protect them. I am a little more skeptical. God is tired and a little overwhelmed by the pandemic and its consequences. He is besieged every day by thousands of various requests and his computer network is outdated. Do everybody a favor and give the man a break! Don’t call him… he will call you up to him… if you don’t wear a mask.
Religious Americans also blame a variety of reasons for the pandemic.
“Human sinfulness accounted for 11% of respondents, followed by immigrants at 9%, climate change at 7%, people of non-Christian faiths at 3%, non-religious people at 2% and Christians at 2%.”
I was never very keen on religion. I am too crass for this kind of thing. Like good old Uncle Karl Max, I believe that religion is an opiate that dulls the senses and temporarily soothes troubled individuals. When everything looks bleak and hopeless people will grab at anything for comfort.
In life, you seldom appreciate your blessings until deprived of them. Drinking a cup of coffee at a sidewalk café is a simple pleasure, but after months of forced austerity, it feels like nirvana.
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” — Voltaire
Alain