This is the finale to the COVID-19 Series.
Overall, I rather enjoyed writing broadly and personally about COVID-19. I’ve really allowed myself to vent out my frustration, and also see things in a more positive light than what the news has been assaulting me with for the past 6 months.
“The Great Reset” as I’ve come to coined the pandemic, has really shown the disparity in wealth and culture that globalism and capitalism has wreaked upon the world.
When you are sick, but need to go to work to earn enough upkeep to sustain your life, shit is beyond fucked.
Truly my heart goes out to all small business owners who have been destroyed by this pandemic and I can only imagine the stress and pain they are going through right now.
I’ve been fortunate to keep my retail job, this back-up plan of mine that I was going to abandon by mid 2020, literally saving me from the devastation COVID-19 has wrecked upon people’s livelihoods.
But now, with a Stage 4 lockdown coming in, I am on the same playing field, as everyone else. My store will be closed by tomorrow and I shall be out of work for the next 6 weeks.
It’ll probably feel like a very long month and a half if I am honest. I shall be putting most of my effort into getting “racer-ready” and cutting down my lap times in Gran Turismo Sport.
I’ll also have to continue my dry-firing drills, improving my Spanish and ensuring I actually come to an conclusion with regards to Sol, the sci-fi story I am creating right now.
Now that I’m looking on the mountain of work ahead of me, I’m a bit more optimistic about the stuff I have to do on this break.
With any luck, this toughest lockdown will bring the pandemic under control and some semblance of normality will return to my beloved hometown.
The cynic in me though, is skeptical. The mood here is the most down-trodden I’ve ever seen and often when the collective mood is depressive, things tend to get more self-destructive than better.
Our Premier is losing his command and respect, the people are more openly flaunting the rules, and there is a nihilistic outlook on life.
An attitude that says “if we get it, fine, so be it. I can’t be bothered fighting anymore.” This is naturally extremely dangerous and represents a collective defeatist attitude in the town, something that will only prolong the lockdown.
But, I can’t blame people for feeling that way. There is no crueller and tougher way to bounce back, after a victory felt earned, won and sealed, only for it to be taken away.
We walked away, thinking COVID-19 was defeated, that we, as a team, did our duty and job to the best of our ability. That our sacrifices meant a victory in the long run.
To have COVID-19 come back, rendering all those sacrifices for nothing, and with our bullshit tank empty, we have nothing to cling onto anymore. Hope is lost and once people lose hope, it is very difficult to behave rationally.
That is the mood of Melbourne right now, on the cusp of the toughest and strictest lockdown ever felt.
It’s as dire as it sounds.
This series has left me exhausted and replete with the amount of words and emotions I’ve dedicated to this topic.
I doubt I have much else to say on COVID-19. I’ve truly explored all the topics I want to discuss and can leave in peace.
I now have a lot of work to do and other avenues to explore.
I hope you have all enjoyed reading my opinions as much as I felt relief in writing them down.
Until the next post,
~ Damocles.
Damocles' Journal 