COVID Year Two was more of a challenge than COVID Year One.

It wasn’t that I expected the pandemic to end, as many apparently did. I did not, having some awareness of real world logistics, the speed of science, and the tendency of those who have made bad decisions to double down rather than repent.

And I’m not chafing at restrictions upon my usual activities. My life hasn’t changed much, except for wondering whether I am carrying home a fatal illness with my groceries.

No, the biggest, buzziest COVIDfly in the ointment of my life is that I am continually confronted with people who appall and disgust me in every conceivable way, with what a very large number of them there are, and with the way they are able to shred the safety and stability of other peoples’ lives, mostly sans repercussions to themselves. How did this happen!??

The Trouble With Democracy

Democracy is a grand idea. Unfortunately, it’s predicated on the assumption that people, on the whole, are ethical, thoughtful, and cooperative – despite the entirety of human history to the contrary.

Perhaps that’s a case of optimism bias.

Blend well (if you can) with capitalism, founded on the belief that there’s never enough to go around, and therefore the definition of strength is to get yours, first.

WARNING: this mixture may be prone to lumps and separation.

Neither of these views of humanity is particularly accurate, but they limp along in awkward alliance like a three-legged racer, as long as conditions are not too stressful. However, in a crisis, the yawning fissures that were always there become more visible, and neither perspective can meet the challenge of its own limitations, much less of the contradictions between them.

This leaves us without a viable common philosophy under pressure. So many problems that have been identified and discussed but never resolved, for years, are now coming home to roost. In no particular order, inadequate science education, racism in elections, elitism in higher education, ineffective intervention in abusive and neglectful parenting, inadequate moderation on social media, insufficient support for those with learning differences, lack of mental health care, widespread exploitation in employment, toxic masculinity, and guns everywhere (to name but a few), all have a role in the situation we now face.

And then there’s our rigid two-party system, in which polarization is inherent, yet which is lauded as more stable than multi-party European systems. Never mind that ever-changing coalitions present frequent opportunities for people who may disagree strongly on some issues to recognize their common cause in others. This in turn keeps very different types nevertheless real to each other, and prevents the formation of monolithic, entrenched blocks that leave alternating halves of the country feeling disenfranchised every 4-8 years. Is a stability of consistent division really something to boast of?

The Trees

Since my raison d’etre has been self discovery and understanding on the individual level, I look below the behavior of groups, and ask myself why are the people in these groups not ethical, thoughtful, and cooperative? Is it that a certain percentage of people aren’t, and that percentage is (WAY) larger than I previously believed? Or does this group represent untreated pathologies, histories of trauma, and problematic personality types forged into a Frankenstein monster of distorted and damaged parts?

I’d rather believe the latter, since there are possible solutions. I know what you’re thinking, but shush. Never mind that I just listed how unresolvable such issues have been to date, nor is now the moment to bring up human history (even though I did). I’m trying to muster hope in a global – and cultural – crisis here, and it’s uphill work, so if you can’t say anything nice, go get yourself a beverage and come back when your optimism bias kicks back in.

Antifactsters

We all need a break from reality now and then. I take a deep dive into one form or another of fiction frequently, and emerge refreshed, and ready once again to deal with challenges in the real world. Or more ready, anyway. It feels as if my surface mind is being distracted and engaged so my underconsciousness can sort, organize and integrate recent experiences without interruption from the perpetual chattiness of my outer brain. Yes, even chatty people get tired of hearing themselves.

But to me, the boundary between fact and fiction is as massive as the Great Wall of China. I never forget that fantasy worlds are created by other minds, with their own biases and experiences and perspectives. In fact, I frequently research the creators, whether actors or authors, after partaking of their presentation, to better interpret it in context.

Yet somehow, a large chunk of the population is living in a fantasy world 24/7 and never coming up for air. Some of them are probably addicts of some kind, since this is very typical of addicts, but surely (hopefully) they can’t ALL be? And some may be people who can’t change gears easily, or think things through effectively, due to neurological limitations. The popular conviction of a global conspiracy to force the world into preventive health care suggests clinical paranoia.

But even combined, these causes don’t seem adequate to explain the large numbers. Or is the presumption that most adults are reasonably functional and grounded in reality another of those cracked stones in the foundation of democracy?

Be Prepared

It’s hard to envision a path to change. Initially, I experienced the pandemic as one of those moments of cultural openness to new directions and possibilities, the silver lining of shattered expectations. The exodus from jobs, once employees got the work-at-home bit in their mouths, I saw coming a mile away. I went through a similar transition myself as the outcome of a personal crisis not so long ago. (This blog is the story of that, so go back to the beginning if you are interested in my journey).

And pandemic fallout does seem to be shifting cultural power balances a little. Mostly for people who are already relatively privileged, but even on the bottom rung, wages have gone up, as jobs that were already stultifying, exhausting and/or humiliating became also potentially lethal.

But how, when, and even whether it will all end has become less and less clear. As in my favorite parable, The Farmer’s Son, initial reactions to events evolve, as new and unexpected outcomes emerge to cast them in a different light. The farmer, unlike his neighbors, takes events as they come without categorizing them, knowing that conclusions are premature until such time as ripples end (which may be never). As others alternatively rave and commiserate over his “good” and “bad” luck, he comments only, “We’ll see.”

This perspective is embodied in the concept of infinite universes, in which every possible thing that could happen does, somewhere, along with all the subsequent consequences thereof. That’s also how I understand the meaning/purpose of life – we are all one in the great all-that-is, endlessly experiencing it/ourselves in every possible permutation.

So how is that helpful now? I guess that depends whether the problem is defined as what is going on in the world, or as my reaction to it. No, on second thought, it helps either way, because those two things aren’t really separate. What is going on is part of the purpose, and so is my reaction to it. It’s all “supposed to” be what it is, including our feelings about it.

But can I sustain a trans-temporal multi-universal meta-perspective in the face of the next belligerent, inflammatory, flagrantly and intentionally false Facebook comment?

We’ll see.