Covid-19

 Enitled: "believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment."

So crazy how divisive this pandemic has become. Nothing in my lifetime has required such restrictive measures, measures our parents and grandparents endured in multiple during their lifetimes.

 

Thus, our acquired ease of comfort, plenty, and confidence of freedom have led to an expectation of non-interference of our intended paths. Rebellion when contradictions impede. A "How Dare You" mantra.

 

Some of our and our family/friend's chosen careers are contingent on the public's freedom to patronize those shops/services. When those freedoms are curtailed due to say, oh, a pandemic, the businesses fail. I get it. I was luckier than some with my chosen path: nurses were always essential. In retirement, I'm feeling fairly secure until Trump succeeds with completely destroying Social Security and the VA in favor of his rich supporters. Still, I've lived long enough. I feel so badly for those who own restaurants, bodegas, tiendas, bars. No trade, no income. Landlords. No jobs, no rent.

Cue the hue and cry to abolish the restrictions and trust the people to "Do The Right Thing".

Except they don't. No mask, because our constitution says I have freedom to choose. No social distancing, same reason. Many thousands more will die. 200,000 so far. 

Entitlement kills.

There are skilled neurosurgeons from third world countries starting over as orderlies here. Your lifestyle may well have to adapt/change. Kind of like the Jews in Germany, at least the ones who survived. Your restaurant closed? Lost your savings? Yep. Gotta move back home with the parents? Yep. No more health coverage without employment? Yep. Gee, if only there was a presidential candidate who would prevent those things. If Universal Health Care were a real thing...

People are chafing, angry, coming unglued at being restricted. Entitled. Scared, but not of the virus. Scared of change, scared of less. Entitled. Unwilling to bend, acquiesce, adapt. Entitled. SO uncomfortable with isolation, solitude, lack of contact. NEEDing others to complete themselves. Adamant that the government presumes to think it can control them. Ugly Americans. Entitled.

I've lost friends over this. Maybe some family, too. It's unknown if this will reverse with time, if/when normalcy returns. And I don't really care overmuch. I've learned way too much about these people.

Wear a mask. Stay home. Suck it up. Save lives. It's truly not that much to ask.

Really?