Working During Quarantine

The irony of the pandemic

Farm companies giving away food.

People contacting each other more. Family spending more time together.

Wild Animals are seen roaming more freely.

Less air and water pollution. Fish can be seen more clearly and mountains are more visible.

People being more aware of the needs of others and the importance of essential workers.

More people are returning to their hobbies and developing new skills.

We are learning to appreciate nature and silence more.

We are all reminded that life is fragile and we need to live it slowly, with care and compassion.

We are more conscious about our hygiene.

Streets are safer and people are learning to be patient with grocery lines.

We are entering a new era in our evolutionary human history. Future generations will hopefully learn from us.

Masks

We’re entering a new generation where wearing a mask will become the norm. I think they will even become part of the fashion lifestyle. They will probably come in different shapes, colors, and styles as part of our common daily dress code. Probably will be as common as wearing sunglasses or makeup on your face.

Gloves will also be part of our daily lives. They too may come in different shapes, colors, and styles. And they will not be wore only during cold weather. 

We will be living a society where there will be a high demand on masks. They may also come to include goggles to cover our eyes as well. Hats and special protective clothing can also become a new demand.

It may also be required by law to wear masks in public and people may be fined if they do not comply. Coughing and sneezing in public without covering our mouths will become illegal. Shaking hands and hugging will also be forbidden. There may be a new law to limit social gatherings to a limited number of people. It will seem like a totalitarian society.

Even if the pandemic is mostly over , we as a species have been traumatized and marked so deeply by this global crisis, that our human lives will never be same. Even our language will begin to change.

And wearing masks everyday will be our new norm. What do you think?

Uncertainty is the New Normal

Let us stop for a moment and ponder on this. Because we are all living a new reality.

Literally the whole world is on stand by. I continue to wish that this is a bad dream, but I haven’t woken up from it yet.

I have a full time job, but I haven’t seen my office half of the time. I work in a team setting, but I have only seen three coworkers at a time and from a distance.

I wash my hands for 20 seconds, and I still use hand sanitizer right after that. Try not to touch the door handles, and use wipes where ever I go.

I have friends and families, but I don’t see them in person. I cannot even get close to my mom to give her a kiss, because it may make her ill.

Streets are empty, and grocery stores have lines of people outside. It reminds me of pictures of a totalitarian society and a socialist government.

Masks and gloves are becoming a daily necessity. Toilet paper and sanitizers are almost like gold.

The news are full of negative reports about positive results. Death toll rises while congregations decrease.

We use Netflix and Hulu instead of going to the theatre. Social distancing is what dominates our daily lives.

It seems that this has no end. It appears as if we are trying to fight a losing battle against an invisible enemy.

This makes hurricane seasons more bearable. Earthquakes and wild fires are familiarities to us.

But this is different. And more scary.

Nobody knows how long this will last. There is a heavy sense of uncertainty that shatters our lives.

Will we ever go back to normal? We don’t know what normal is anymore.

The only thing normal now is the uncertainty itself.

What can we learn from this chaos?

So this is a follow up from the previous post. Today the answer to the question I was asking in my last post is that, No, we are not overreacting to the Coronavirus global situation. We might actually be under reacting . It is obvious and there is no question that the human race is currently experiencing a world wide epidemic.

Watching the news is more anxiety provoking than anything else. I have watched a lot of end of times and apocalyptic movies, but now I am actually experiencing these catastrophic events in real life. Sometimes I wish I am living a bad dream, but I haven’t woken up yet.

Schools are suspended until further notice , theme parks are closed, libraries are closed, beaches and parks are empty, and stores are running out of products. Not even the hurricane season tops this. September 11 did not affect airline companies as much as the Coronavirus. The news talk about this dangerous virus all the time. It seems that they don’t talk about anything else happening in the world.

Scientists are still studying this virus. There is no vaccine yet. Death toll keeps rising. What should we do then? Panic? Not really, but certainly keep ourselves isolated as much as possible. Use social media more and don’t visit the elderly. Do more online shopping and watch more Netflix at home.

This might be an opportunity to get closer to the loved ones we live with and give each other support. It is our chance to simplify our lives and do some self reflection. This might be the beginning of a new era where human beings can reflect more about the fragility of life and how important it is to live in the present moment. It is ironic that we may continue to interact more with each other through the use of technology. But it is also a blessing so that we can maintain contact without risking contracting the disease.

So go ahead, spend more time with your children, spouse , and loved ones at home. Interact with others away from you through virtual technology. Read more books, watch more movies, and engage in other simple hobbies. We might learn something new and beautiful from each other in the midst of the chaos.

Are we overreacting to the Coronavirus ?

I am truly concerned about this outbreak called CoVid19, or Coronavirus . As we all know , it started in China last December, and it spread to other countries, including South Korea, Italy, and now the United States. It has become an increasing concern to most of us. My wife keeps buying materials and food in case stores run out of products. People are buying masks and hand sanitizers all over the place. Others are watching the news constantly about how fast it is spreading. Schools are closing and Universities are doing more online courses. Coronavirus has killed around 20 people or more in the US. It started in Seattle, and now there are cases in Florida. Even Puerto Rico is starting to monitor people who are becoming sick.

But, are we overreacting ? I wonder how much of this is just the media and the internet making a bigger deal that it really is.

Some people compare it to the flu. Thousands of people die from the flu each year. Why worry so much about the Coronavirus? It is a new virus , which means that our bodies have not been immune to it yet. There is no vaccine to fight it yet.

But I get the feeling that this could be a massive case of hysteria and panic, more than a true global medical problem. It has recently been declared a pandemic which means the whole world is officially being affected.

Should we be worried? We certainly have to be prepared and take precautions , such as washing our hands for 20 seconds and not touching our faces. Should we avoid public places? Not go to work or school?

How serious should we really take this?

Illness should be Banned

.

Illness should be Banned. 

Having a medical condition

Is almost like having a life sentence.

Receiving medical care 

can cost more than the illness itself.

Free medical care is banned.

Believing that healthcare is a right  is banned

Taking alternative medicine is unpopular. 

Delaying paying for medical bills is banned .

Ignoring medical advice is also unadvisable .

Disputing medical bills is troublesome.

Is costs more illness to pay for these medical bills

Than the original illness itself.

Can’t afford to get sick again. 

It’s a lifelong bondage that won’t go away. 

Therefore ,

Illness should also be banned.. 

Anxiety attacks again…

So I was having a “normal” day at work today, when I started feeling lightheaded. It was kind of mild at the beginning,.. so what I have been doing is trying to ignore it by distracting myself with work and other activities.

But today it was a challenge. I felt I almost fainted while seeing a client. I do counseling, and I felt I needed the counseling at that moment. The lightheadedness was so intense that I started to have tunnel vision. My hands started sweating , and my mouth was dry.

A few months ago doctors never found what was wrong with my heart, if anything. My thyroid is fine and my sugar level is also normal. I have no GI problems either. So I’m still stuck with assuming it’s just anxiety or a more serious condition that has not been detected yet. Still taking anxiety medication on a daily basis, and I’m mot sure if it’s doing anything at all. I did have side effects of the medication at the beginning.

There was no reason to be anxious about anything in particular. And it lasted until I got home from work.. But first I had to pick up my son from a baseball game and that took forever to get to him and back home.. I thought I wasn’t going to make it but I did. I felt better when I got home. I keep wondering if this is just anxiety or if it’s something more serious. I keep thinking of all the previous episodes that I have had these and keep remembering them in detail in my head.

I will continue to do what I can including meditation, exercise and mindful activities. I guess I will continue to take my medications as well. Or maybe start trying CBD oil. Don’t know..

To be continued ….

Facing the departure of a loved one

My family and I are currently facing the potential passing of a loved one. He is my father in law and he has been in the hospital for a few days now. Families have been traveling to see him. Doctors are starting to talk about hospice.

Last week, we heard about a friend of the family who was involved in a serious freak accident and unfortunately lost his life as a result. It was a shock for all of us since he was a young man with four sons and a wife. He was very active in the community and in is church. He was a very kind and supportive husband. He helped my daughter find a job and took my son to practice basketball with his sons. He was an amazing man.

My own father passed away almost two years ago. I was not present when he was on his death bed because of the distance. But I was there for his funeral and burial. That was also heart breaking, not seeing my father for a long time and then losing him forever. And now we are facing another personal pain with another family member about to pass.

All these losses that we experience really take a big toll in our lives in a profound way. It reminds us of the mystery of this existence. It gives us a slap on our face about how finite this life really is. All the hopes and the goals they we have. All the challenges and shortcomings we endure. All the lessons that we receive. All the accomplishments and actualizations that we achieve. For us to then cease to exist at the end.

And then what?

This is why I have started to believe that this limited existence , as far as we can be aware of, is basically passing the torch to the next generation. And then to the next. And so on. We are collectively gaining knowledge and wisdom for our children to pass it on to their children so that we, human beings, can succeed and survive.

It is a “big picture” kind of mission and purpose. Our individual lives, if we are truly individuals , don’t have much of a purpose except to benefit humanity as a whole. In thousands and thousands of years. We just don’t see it like that , at least we don’t at the moment and don’t remember from previous generations, but we can maintain faith that that is the way this existence operates.

I could be completely off and be wrong about this. But I strongly believe this is the reason we are here. Otherwise , this is a big and chaotic mess.

So here we are, visiting my father in law for possibly the last time. Remembering his accomplishments and his contribution. Cherishing good memories. Passing on what he learned to us and our children.

Until the next time.

New Generation, New Language

“Send me the link. ”

“I will text you.”

“Attach it to the email.”

“Google it..”

“Download from the cloud.”

Do you know what these phrases mean? Of course you do. We use them everyday. But thirty years ago they had no meaning at all, at least for most of the population.

It is amazing how much our language has changed . It is impressive how fast we have evolved into a significantly different species.

We are currently using language that a generation ago was almost unheard of. And I don’t think I need to explain the reason for such a drastic change .

When I was a child back in the 80’s, the most common way of communicating in long distance was through regular mail or a telephone call. Now we can even see a live image of a person from the other side of the world on a miniature screen held in our hands and talk to that person. It is amazing!

We have become a new kind of people with a new language . It’s not English anymore. It’s something else. We may call it “Technologish” or “Cyberish.” Whatever we may call it, it’s a new way of referring to the various ways we currently operate and communicate.

Cyber space, computers, information technology, and virtual reality have become our norm. The internet is our new encyclopedia and newspaper. Ebooks are our new books. Spotify and Pandora are our new radio stations. Netflix and Hulu have become our new movie theaters. Amazon and EBay dominated our shopping days. The list goes on and on.

And the language and phrases we use are increasingly evolving. I am not sure if we would be able to communicate effectively with someone who time traveled from the past, even from the 1980’s, without confusing them with all of our terminology.

I am sure that in a not so distant future we may start talking about calling your vehicle to come and pick us up. Or teleporting to the other side of the world in minutes. Or experiencing a vacation through virtual reality. Or having personal relationship with an artificially intelligent humanoid.

What other terms will we use then?