What's Next? 27

What really matters is compassion.  There isn't enough of it.  And it is hard navigating some of the manifest stupidity of the toxic and ignorant people that make it bad for everyone  I am thinking of those who don't wear masks when in situations where physical distancing is difficult or impossible  Like that mob of a half dozen or so middle class white jocks, all twenty or so monopolizing the sidewalk, none of them wearing masks, naturally, and I had to cover my face with a bandana to get past them.   Of course the bandana was going to protect them, not me, but it also made it easier for me to not to inhale until I was past them. 

And don't get me started about the two out of three transit passengers who don't mask up even though safe distancing is no longer practiced or required while on the buses.  They have to start making masks on transit mandatory.  Especially younger people, who are wired to think they are immortal and indestructible,  are particularly delinquent.   and being young they are also going to be more selfish than others, because that is part of being young.  It is very difficult to have compassion for privileged idiots.  But they need it more than they deserve it, and perhaps in some ways even more.

I still go out.  I have to.  And I still reach out to others.  It is so necessary and so vital,.  And I still wear a mask in public, not everywhere, but selectively.  On public transit, yes, and inside any store that seems even a little bit busy.  I am not doing this to protect myself, by the way.

I did have chats today with a couple of random strangers, both men around my age, and both with underlying health problems, making it all the more necessary for them to take precautions.  This left me feeling more grateful and appreciative for my own robust good health, but I don't want to be stupid, and for this reason I will of course continue with the protocols of safe distancing, hand hygiene, and as necessary, wearing a face mask.  I will conclude with part of an email to a friend today|

So, there are always opportunities for learning humility, eh?  i say this because I have to stop myself from losing patience with a lot of people, especially on public transit, when they don't wear masks where safe distancing is difficult or impossible.  They really need to make masks mandatory on public transit here in Vancouver, they haven't so far, and people are getting nervous and grumpy, so maybe soon.  We have done really well in flattening the curve, but it can just take a handful of careless individuals to send it all down the toilet again.  

But I am still optimistic.  Maybe not for the short term, but long term yes.  You see, I believe that humans are hardwired to survive and to thrive, especially in times of adversity.  This is rather difficult for people of our generation to swallow, because this generation is really untested, and maybe we can be thankful that nothing worse than this pandemic, which is already bad enough, has overtaken us for now.  But we will get through it.  Previous generations and epochs have seen and got through much worse, and without the benefit of social media, technology and advanced medicine.  Still, it will be so nice when this is all over and behind us, eh?