Though I still remember the phrase “The Dumbing Down of America”, I honestly can’t remember the specific reason it became such a well-known one. But I’ve decided to call these times “The Numbing Down of America”.
I hope I’m not the only person who has gotten to this place of becoming “numb” to the news. For me, it started with the Impeachment trial. Every news media – paper/print, radio, TV, Internet – had constant information about it. The information seemed contradictory at times, depending upon the views of the writer/owner of the news source. I’m a headline reader of the news, more apt to catch what informational details I get from our local TV news. At some point, as the Impeachment trial was coming to a close, I remember saying to my bestie, “I no longer care who wins and who loses – I just want it to be over.” News was coming at me from so many different sources, constantly, that becoming numb to it was the only way I felt I could stop feeling like I was being bounced off the rocks of a steep cliff…. whatever my fate would be, I just wanted to reach the bottom.
And now, it’s the Coronavirus. Once again, regardless of the source, the news has become overwhelming. The numbers of positive cases around the world change in a heartbeat. The ‘advice’ of what to do/what not to do varies so much that most of us have no choice but to follow our gut instincts. The financial strain on the country and its people is unfathomable, and for most of us, money will dictate how each of us handles the crisis as it continues to evolve. The common sense approach is to self-quarantine for two weeks (not a big problem for me as I’m largely a homebody anyhow), but another headline I just saw said that it would be present until mid-September. The headline that really made me panic, however, was the one which said that people can be positive for the Coronavirus without showing any of its symptoms! If that is true, then the odds are in the favor that somewhere in this country, there are cashiers in grocery stores and drugstores, pharmacists, workers in take-out restaurants, etc. who maybe a carrier of the Coronavirus as well as any one of us! So self-quarantining and avoiding large gatherings helps, but it’s not a certain way to avoid becoming a victim!
After the events of 9/11, we as a country reminded each other that we can’t live in fear. Yet, this Coronavirus is causing so many to do just that. And I can’t say I blame them! I have to numb myself in order to not let the overwhelming news, full of contradictions, take over and instill that great a fear in me!
As I said earlier, I’m pretty much a homebody anyhow. I will still need to have trips to the grocery store, but when need arises, instead of weekly as I usually do. I kept my car inspection appointment on Monday, and will keep my hair appointment next week. I will continue to be grateful that I support small businesses for these kinds of things, lessening my chance of being around a group of more than 2 or 3 people at a time. I will continue to hope and pray that I’m not a non-symptomatic carrier of the Coronavirus, nor shall I come in contact with someone who is. I will consider it a blessing that, though I’m still (and will always be) technology inept, I can do banking and bill-paying and shopping online, as well as find entertainment. But I will not succumb to fear! If that means I have to be numb to the constant news barrage being throwing at me, so be it!
I hope we all get through this unscathed. I’ll do a little dreaming that maybe something that affects us around the world might bring us a little closer as humanity on earth. I will trust my gut and its instincts.
I will hope that all of my readers are doing the best they can in these troubled times. Please use common sense, but don’t let the fear overtake you! Peace to all!
Ramblings and Ruminations 
Yes, dear sister, it is sadly true that you can carry and pass on the virus while showing no symptoms at all. Scary shit, right? But you are doing all the right things to protect yourself and others, and that is all we can do. As much as I hope with you, that when the smoke has cleared we will be a better society for it, what I have seen so far from society (hoarding of food, cleaning supplies, paper products, medicine, etc.) has not made me feel great about who we really are right this minute. But fear not, if this falls into anarchy, chaos, upheaval, failed government, or an every man for themselves type of thing, that is where I thrive. Survival at all costs is my jam. The skills, honed over many years in the service, will suddenly be valuable again. Bring on the apocalypse!
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