Thank you. As a chronically ill person, I know that I am officially and unofficially valued less than I was pre-illness. The news began pandemic coverage assuring the masses that only folks like me or the elderly would die. Healthcare staff respond to my "please mask" requests with "I don't legally have to" and it can be so. hard. to keep going through that some days. It's not a biochemical issue in my brain, because that is important to handle at the source. It's just most of the world wishing my ADA needs, activity complications, or continual troubling reminder of what-might-happen weren't present in the world.
I look like I'm super healthy, but I'm immune compromised. I'm still masking and avoiding large / and most other indoor things. It is surreal how our death is just accepted as a natural outcome, so why do we keep masking? My husband landed in the hospital in 2021 with food poisoning of the worst kind. They had covid and non-covid patients in the same ward and masking was haphazard. When I confronted a nurse she said she didn't worry because there was no way any of us could really avoid covid. I'm still angry. And I'm still covid free. I feel like our ability to stay alive is a F-you to the system.
That anger is absolutely justified. "Don't worry, that's inevitable" is disgusting. I'm also immune compromised, plus two more high risk factors. Staying NoVid is a real challenge that takes a lot of creative thinking, diligence, and a little luck. Let's keep spiting the system!
Pamela, your essay broke me! Ever since the election, I have seesawed between anger, great sadness, and wanting to fight to preserve what few pieces of our democracy we can salvage. Your essay struck such a cord in me that I started weeping. I just sobbed at the profound injustice and sorrow in this world. I am in a position of privilege, so I don’t directly suffer (at least not yet) but my heart is just broken for all the suffering and needless loss of life our greedy hateful system has wrought. And now it’s going to be so much worse! I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. Thank you so much for your heartfelt thoughts and beautiful writing.
I thought your essay was poignant and unflinching, thank you.
I think I share a sense of your loss; in that, being left behind by another of the wonderful people we’ve known, moves the life/value equation distinctly toward the negative.
But maybe, we need to collectively “see”the fruit of our apathy and self centred-ness
before both we ourselves,and our leaders perceive ,that they have the most to lose with the breakdown of effective government . Therefore, the onus is upon them, to make the changes that attempt to tackle the extremely difficult realisation, that being rational and reactive means accepting that the system is not fit for purpose any more!This aught to have them (politicians),as busy as bees trying to correct their trajectory,but the ship of state is a supertanker so we give them some more time.
But time is not limitless, we may have to become vocal in support of our friends who are even more vulnerable than we are,to the declining care of the state and business.
Let’s make our pain into a determination , because focused pain is an energy, and if it’s used by loving people ,it can raise awareness of the injustices people mete out to each other.
Mostly because of ignorance and fear, surely we are better than that?
Thank you. As a chronically ill person, I know that I am officially and unofficially valued less than I was pre-illness. The news began pandemic coverage assuring the masses that only folks like me or the elderly would die. Healthcare staff respond to my "please mask" requests with "I don't legally have to" and it can be so. hard. to keep going through that some days. It's not a biochemical issue in my brain, because that is important to handle at the source. It's just most of the world wishing my ADA needs, activity complications, or continual troubling reminder of what-might-happen weren't present in the world.
I look like I'm super healthy, but I'm immune compromised. I'm still masking and avoiding large / and most other indoor things. It is surreal how our death is just accepted as a natural outcome, so why do we keep masking? My husband landed in the hospital in 2021 with food poisoning of the worst kind. They had covid and non-covid patients in the same ward and masking was haphazard. When I confronted a nurse she said she didn't worry because there was no way any of us could really avoid covid. I'm still angry. And I'm still covid free. I feel like our ability to stay alive is a F-you to the system.
That anger is absolutely justified. "Don't worry, that's inevitable" is disgusting. I'm also immune compromised, plus two more high risk factors. Staying NoVid is a real challenge that takes a lot of creative thinking, diligence, and a little luck. Let's keep spiting the system!
Pamela, your essay broke me! Ever since the election, I have seesawed between anger, great sadness, and wanting to fight to preserve what few pieces of our democracy we can salvage. Your essay struck such a cord in me that I started weeping. I just sobbed at the profound injustice and sorrow in this world. I am in a position of privilege, so I don’t directly suffer (at least not yet) but my heart is just broken for all the suffering and needless loss of life our greedy hateful system has wrought. And now it’s going to be so much worse! I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. Thank you so much for your heartfelt thoughts and beautiful writing.
Comments like this empower me to keep writing the hard things. Thank you <3
I thought your essay was poignant and unflinching, thank you.
I think I share a sense of your loss; in that, being left behind by another of the wonderful people we’ve known, moves the life/value equation distinctly toward the negative.
But maybe, we need to collectively “see”the fruit of our apathy and self centred-ness
before both we ourselves,and our leaders perceive ,that they have the most to lose with the breakdown of effective government . Therefore, the onus is upon them, to make the changes that attempt to tackle the extremely difficult realisation, that being rational and reactive means accepting that the system is not fit for purpose any more!This aught to have them (politicians),as busy as bees trying to correct their trajectory,but the ship of state is a supertanker so we give them some more time.
But time is not limitless, we may have to become vocal in support of our friends who are even more vulnerable than we are,to the declining care of the state and business.
Let’s make our pain into a determination , because focused pain is an energy, and if it’s used by loving people ,it can raise awareness of the injustices people mete out to each other.
Mostly because of ignorance and fear, surely we are better than that?
Greg.