Items

• 2020-05-03

  Fears for after the lockdown

  I have become very fearful for what the future holds for a number of reasons. We are in a time of many uncertainties and truly do not know what the future holds. There are many implications about how society will be after all this is over. The first reason why I am fearful is if this is the new status quo. What I mean by that is, when there is a new virus that comes around, are we going to have to stop everything that we are doing and stay at home. Can we endure that multiple times as a country, because with just this our economy has skyrocketed downward and millions are without work. I am scared of a society that closes down everything and puts millions of people into hardship due to unemployment just because a new disease has arisen. What if this were to become a seasonal thing. Another thing I am very weary of is just how powerful the government has become in people’s day to day lives. I am hoping that after all this is over that the government’s power will retract to how it was, but I am not too sure it will. In my view of things, people in positions of power either try their best to keep the power that they already have or try to expand it. This is fearful because I do not want to live in a society where the government has major control on most civil liberties. Another reason I am fearful is the fact that people would be so willing to give up their freedoms as individuals for a false sense of security. People are so willing these days to just not question what is going on and just believe whatever they see in the news. It has gotten to the point where I feel like I can not speak my mind on certain things without being shut down instantly. I have been having long talks about this idea of trading our civil liberties for false sense of security. I keep saying “false” sense of security because in the real world you can never be truly safe. Security is not a fundamental human right so why would we be so willing to give up the rights that we are entitled to. I hope people will consider things like this in order to come out of this situation stronger.
• 2020-05-03

  Day to day life in quarantine

  Life has changed so much in such little time. The things people used to do on a daily basis has been shaken up dramatically. The stay at home rules were put into effect almost two months ago. I have not been able to see my friends or certain family members even though I am finally back home. I have been trying to get out as much as I can whether that be running by the beach or just going out and exploring nature. It has been really difficult for me dealing with all this, but I have been trying to fill my time being outside. I do not take the beautiful area that I live in for granted anymore. The other day I went to the river by myself, which I hardly ever do, and just sat and enjoyed the sun reaching down on my body. It was quite peaceful and since I am taking a full course load, very relaxing. We now have to wear masks when entering “essential” businesses in our state, California. I was yelled at by a gas station worker the morning it was put into effect because I was not wearing a mask. I was mad at first but then I realized this poor man was just trying to do his job. I tried to reason with the man saying no one else was here and that I had literally seen him the day before when I got some snacks. He ended up kicking me out and I did not get the bottle of water I needed. People have changed a lot too. They are more fearful of each other than they were before. I realize this everyday as I go on walks with my mother. For every person that would smile at us, two others would stray away fearful that our breath may contaminate them. For me and my peers, this is the first time we have ever seen mass-hysteria. I was talking to this with my father about how fear can lead people to do drastic things. That is what is scary to me. What happens when people begin to steal because they can no longer work the jobs they had and provide for themselves and their families? What happens when people begin to riot because they no longer feel able to endure not having a steady stream of income? What will the world look like after all this is over?