The Coronavirus pandemic has and will be on the minds of many individuals for the foreseeable future. All of the hysteria and panic makes sense, evidenced in the immense affect this event has had on the world. COVID-19 related deaths, school closures, statewide shutdowns, and stock-market plunges seen throughout the world has many people on edge. Everyone’s apprehension about the future is understandable; but just because an idea, event, or discussion may be intelligible, doesn’t mean it is exempt from superfluity.
It’s understood why there are many conversations being made about possible solutions to the problem of obesity in America. But if the conversation is centered around banning fast-food, or placing limits on how many UberEats orders someone can make in a day, that sort of discourse serves the same function as make-up slathered over a face full of acne. Sure, things may look or seem better, but has the root of the problem been addressed? Since the start of this pandemic, I have witnessed many people stress and obsess over the most trivial aspects of this global phenomenon. Spectating has not only been rather entertaining, but extremely mind-boggling as well.
Free Yourself from Psychosis:
The use of seat belts in automobiles within America was optional until the United States enacted a federal law in 1968, requiring all vehicle manufactures to install the device. A countless number of people died before any viable solutions were brought to the table. It appears that whenever a new technology is introduced in society, there is a period where the allure of this new apparatus puts those interested, and the users of said tool, into a state of psychosis. Taking the time to study the possible negative outcomes of utilizing a technology is essentially negated during this fanatical moment of progress and innovation. Once automobiles were fully integrated and were used to being seen, that initial allure began to dwindle down.
This factor, along with the rise in death related automobile crashes, allowed many individuals to finally see what was always in front of them. Sure, the seat belt can be seen as the make-up which covers the hormonal induced acne, but that’s a bi-product of the infeasibility of the main solution. The main solution to curbing death related automobile accidents would have been to prohibit the use of these vehicles all together. By the 1960’s, the utilization of cars became an integral part of modern life both economically, and socially. Going backwards may have caused more harm than good. That is why lawmakers decided to grab their make-up kits back then, and why lawmakers are rushing into MAC, today. The reactions to the Coronavirus outbreak is an exemplification of the current psychosis many people around the world cannot break free from.
Spatially Inept:
When life doesn’t go as we expected it to, as human-beings, we tend to go into a frenzy over the unexpected. There arises this inclination to blame everything, and everyone around us, instead of evaluating the faults within our own expectations. As many people are on the verge of losing their jobs due to the pandemic, the blame for the rapid spread of this virus has been placed on Donald Trump, The Chinese Government, a “New World Order”, and a plethora of other unrelated factors.
The rapid spread of this virus is due to the fact that our world has decided that the ability to travel through vast amounts of space in a short period of time is important. When you’re booking that flight, getting on that train, or taking that road trip in a car, the last thing on your mind are viruses. Naturally, most will think about landing safely, getting to the hotel on time, the first beach to be visited, the grandmother you haven’t seen in a decade, and everything else that may be on your checklist. The use of these fast traveling mediums allow us to achieve our goals and help us obtain what we deem as pleasurable or important. But is this all that they do? All innovations both give and take something away from humanity, including the things outside of ourselves. Planes, automobiles, boats and trains have enabled society to achieve plenty, but these innovations also give us the opportunity to digress in other facets. One is able to get to point a and point b faster, but one is also able to transmit different diseases much faster in the process. As you travel through space quickly, everything you have brought with you, including the unseen and uninvited travels quickly, as well.
The Coronavirus has spread through-out the world as swiftly as it has because of the virus’s access to that airplane, train, boat, car, bus, and etc. Conspiracy theorists and vacuous minds alike cannot comprehend the fact that COVID-19 is not a virus which just “appeared” out of thin air. Many viruses lay dormant for long periods of time in other organisms or surfaces where it is safe enough for it to replicate itself. When you come in contact with these other organisms or surfaces, and if the structure of the virus permits it, the pestilent disease has found a new host. The individual who is not well read might believe that the sudden appearance of COVID-19 is due to some government plan to wipe out the population. Part of this assumption is due to a lack of knowledge, but another reason is a result of a lack in spatial awareness. All “news” presented to us on television, the smartphone, newspaper, and all other platforms, can only be presented to us in a decontextualized manner. It is impossible for any of these mediums to show viewers the full context of any particular situation. We cannot be shown how, where, and when this virus began to develop. The only thing the media can give us is their starting point. Or a copy of a copy of someone else’s report on the starting point.
When you combine ignorance with a deficiency in spatial awareness, it makes sense as to why many are conjuring up theories as to where this “man-made” virus came from. Information given to us through the media has an immediate feel to it since it reaches us, the public, so fast. It is forgotten or unacknowledged that what is presented to us through the media has a history, a story line, and a greater context than what we can physically see or conceptualize.
Why should I care?
Allocating time to argue over, or discuss the most trivial aspects of this worldwide pandemic is redundant. All this does is keep individuals from being able to analyze and assess their personal situation. None of us invented the car, plane, boat, or train. But we are still affected by these mediums, whether we choose to be or not. If you are able to understand how different mediums have the ability to shape our culture, environment, and ourselves, especially when tragedies strike, the event itself will be less daunting. This doesn’t mean you live your life in fear, or that you become a technological pessimist, but this does mean you formulate a comfortable understanding of your environment. This way, when something does occur, you aren’t stuck in a state of awe. You will be better suited to face the reality that is in front of you.
Rather than quarreling with people over the origins of the virus, what the president did or didn’t say, what the government is going to do for you, one needs to be able to figure out what one is going to do for oneself and their family. What emergency plans do you have in place? How are you going to use the resources you do have to help alleviate your current issue? How should you alter your habits or lifestyle in order for it to be conducive to what’s happening currently? Forget for a second your concern about where you are going to sit on the plane, what kind of food will be served, what you are going to do when you land, and research or inquire about the safety measures your airline has in place. If you or someone else is sick, and they’re boarding a plane, what safety precautions are in place to stop the spread of disease? Does this information even exist? If it does, how accessible is it? If it doesn’t, what can I do about that? It is also okay to not care, or think deeply about your environment and the objects which help to shape your experience. To live your life in the moment is to also accept that when a crisis happens, that’s just the way things are and you are fine doing nothing about it.
Now, there is nothing wrong with speculating, and being critical of our government and different news outlets. We should question the world around us and the way in which the world is presented to us. With that being said, you must utilize the facts that you have to help you draw different conclusions. Saying x is occurring because of y, without evidence or facts to back up your claim, could be dangerous. Especially in a world where everyone has an outlet to express their opinion to an innumerable amount of people. We should build on each other’s ideas, which are supported by facts, in order to reach or come close to the truth. If we feed into ideas which are based off of emotions and nothing tangible, that is a breeding ground for misinformation, ignorance, and stagnancy.
Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe I’m completely wrong. If so, how? What challenges or critiques do you have regarding what you’ve just read? Maybe I’m in a state of psychosis, awaiting a hard slap to the face.
The mind critique 