I tend to write (or try to) with a light-hearted frame of mind… Yes, I occasionally have a little rant, but for the most part, I try to keep it light… This will be different.
Covid-19… Oh, aren’t you just sick and tired of hearing its name… It’s ACTUAL name… None of that “Chinese VIrus” bollocks that the American government is trying to peddle… Covid-19.
When it first appeared on the scene I was dismissive… I think a lot of us were, we didn’t understand how serious it actually was… Now we do… Well, most of us do.
Here in Bangkok, we’re living in a city where bars, clubs, massage parlours and now even shopping malls are being closed in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, people are voluntarily isolating, keeping away from friends (and in some cases family) in an attempt to do our part to slow the spread… Here, Jo is working from home, we’ve not seen our friends and we only leave our apartment to get groceries and have a short walk around our park, wearing facemasks as we travel to and from, and keeping our distance from people… We, as are a lot of people here in Bangkok, doing our bit… Our duty.
The rules are simple… Keep away from people, keep healthy, keep your hands clean… It’s common sense.
But, as a wise Irishman once told me “The thing about common sense is… It’s not all that common”.
Especially so, it seems back in Britain. My home country… A country full (or so it seems) of fucking idiots.
It seems like every day I awake to see more stories of British stupidity and thoughtlessness.
People panic buying, people buying more than they need, stockpiling toilet paper… People who don’t have the ability to get to shops at a certain time, be it because of the hours they work or some other reason, are finding the shelves empty, hardworking, decent people unable to obtain the basic items that they need… And all because of stupidity and greed.
Boris Johnson, a man I have no respect for as a person or a politician, addresses the nation and tells people to self isolate, and yet I see images of groups of people, lining up outside supermarkets, packed together at outdoor markets… Spreading the disease.
Mothers day.
A day where folks visit their mom, give her a bunch of flowers, hand her a card… Mothers day, an event Boris Johnson specifically mentioned… He told people not to visit Mothers, he warned that the elderly were vulnerable… But still, the idiotic British just couldn’t do as they were told… I know of at least two people who visited my own mother yesterday. If she catches the disease… If she gets ill… Or if the worst comes to the worst… As sadly for the older members of our population it could do, who will be blamed? Is it part of the British psyche to hold our hands up and say “Oh we fucked up”?… No, the blame will be aimed elsewhere… Well folks, it’s time to hold your fucking hands up, yes, this disease may have started in China… Yes, this disease probably wasn’t handled in the best way by the powers that be… But now, the ball is in OUR court… It’s up to US to stop it spreading… Do you worry that Mom will miss her bunch of flowers on Mothers day? Well, just imagine how much you’ll miss Mom, next mothers day… And all because you couldn’t do as you were told and keep the fuck away.
Am I being dramatic? Maybe… But this situation that we are currently living in is a dramatic situation. And dramatic situations at times, require a dramatic response.
I want things to go back to normal, I want to be able to go to a bar, meet our friends… I want to be able to get on a plane and maybe even come back to England for a visit… I want to be able to look at social media and not be met with people complaining they can’t find toilet paper… But, I have to be patient… The world will return to normal, but it won’t be in the next few weeks or the next few months… This situation and the knock-on effects could last for years… There are hard times ahead, can we pull together and help each other through it? Yes, we can… But, sadly we’re humans… And over the years humans have developed a very selfish, every man for himself mentality… So could we help each other? Yes, we could… WILL we help each other? Probably not.
And then I look toward a time when Covid-19 is a memory… A time when we look back and say “2020 was a bit shit, wasn’t it?”… Will we learn from it? Will we take any lessons from this situation and change our ways? I don’t think we will.
As I said, I want things to get back to normal… I’m angry…I’m frustrated… I’m tired… I just want to get back to living, laughing… And writing about selfies and dogs on motorbikes.