Quarantine - 2
Dear friends,
Everything continue to be fine here around me, and I continue not to personally know anyone who has been infected. Thank you for the private messages I got - it's heartwarming to know you were thinking about me <3
For us, being in a region that is not (for the moment) directly involved in the heat of the contagion (there has been one death among a 5,8 millions populace), the most stressful thing, apart from the seclusion, is the incessant stream of news and the non-stop talking about it on tv and social media. My mother keeps telling me that, when all of this will be passed, sociologists will write hundreds of books about the social communication of these days.
I am an intense Facebook user, but nowadays I am seriously thinking about shutting my Facebook experience down for the moment. The tones used are a mixture of grotesque and horror; the effect is farcical. Facebook always tends to emphasize the aggressiveness of its users, but now the aggressive tones are over the top. There are people attacking other people just for asking questions about what we can and cannot do, saying "YOU MUST STAY AT HOME!!!1111!!!! YOU IDIOT!!!!111!11" and so on.
There are the apocalyptic ones, saying "Everything is lost! What's the point in doing something now?"
C'mon, guys. The situation is harsh for the hospitals and we cannot spread the contagion, but there have been one thousand deaths. Over a 60 millions populace. I am sorry for the people who died and for their families, but we are not on the brink of extiction.
There are those worried for the economic ramifications of this. I understand them. Millions have been lost and many businesses are struggling. I have myself lost money in the stock market crash. However, history tells us that there are economic and social rises after each catastrophe. We will struggle; that's for certain. But a friend of mine who was in Japan during the Fukushima disaster tells us, "I lived in the apocalypse, and this isn't".
Then there are the conspiracy theorists. Those at least amuse me.
But my favourite ones (in a negative way) are those who say, "SEE? I TOLD YOU!!! THOSE WHO SAID IT WAS ONLY A FLU NOW HAVE TO APOLOGIZE ON BENDED KNEES!!!!" I have no words to spare with them. They seem to be eagerly waiting for each worse news. While I can understand the other points of view, even if I don't share them, I cannot understand what's in the head of those longing for the bad to came.
But I do wish to warn people in other countries that restrictive measures could come in your countries as well, and that you should be psychologically prepared to be told to stay at home, not to meet other people beside the members of your family who already live with you, and that shops and activities could be closed for the moment. As I said, till now I have no personal experience of the disease in people around me, but I do find myself in a situation of precautionary seclusion. This could happen in other countries as well. Please be patient, and encourage other people to follow your government's measures against the contagion.
As for myself, I am personally not scared, I only pray that my old grandma - living alone in another region - will be safe.
Stay safe everyone. Hugs xxx