Call me irresponsible but I don't follow politics. I don't find enough value in glueing my eyes to the angry, pulsing newsfeed of the nation.
But Bernie Sanders dropping out of the Presidential race was a heavy blow. It seems to me that people are not ready for a true change, even though the world seemed to be imploding well before a virus took over.
Now what I'm left hoping is that this pandemic will shake things up for the better. And I hope I'm not alone. That's not to say the pain and suffering and loss is necessary or even worth it, I just hope we can keep pushing forward with the best intentions.
There will be pushback. Writer/director Julio Gambuto set it straight with a Medium article late this week titled Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting. If you don't know the term, Gambuto defines gaslighting "as manipulation into doubting your own sanity; as in, Carl made Mary think she was crazy, even though she clearly caught him cheating. He gaslit her."
Gambuto warns that while this pandemic has revealed the deep flaws in our systems, the future will bring the urge to return to "normal", to pretend this awful thing never happened or was never as bad as we thought. The suits and big wigs will try to pacify and distract you with even more convenience and entertainment.
But there is only so much Netflix binging and bread-baking we can take. It's time to see the writing on the walls. I've been collecting examples.
Someone in Cambridge, Massachusetts posted on Twitter a sign that warned pedestrians, "Don't 'Push to Walk'. The "walk signal" will come on automatically."
A drugmaker capped their insulin costs at $35 "to help diabetes patients during pandemic".
Companies formerly with no policy to work from home, whatsoever, magically went to 100% remote overnight.
Personally, I've started to cook. It was easier than I thought. Is that embarrassing to admit as a man in his 30's? Maybe. But I've started a running habit on my own too. I've called friends and family I've waited too long to check in on. I've said "I love you" way more.
I'm not crazy but maybe I was before this all went down. Priorities changed overnight into a world where time feels like an illusion.
And just as we all wonder when it will come to an end and we can celebrate by hugging one another and tongue-kissing with reckless abandon, let's get prepared. Because, as Gambuto explained, we'll have the chance to define our own world. He wrote, "We can do that on a personal scale in our homes, in how we choose to spend our family time on nights and weekends, what we watch, what we listen to, what we eat, and what we choose to spend our dollars on and where. We can do it locally in our communities, in what organizations we support, what truths we tell, and what events we attend. And we can do it nationally in our government, in which leaders we vote in and to whom we give power."
With all that being said, let's check out some other stuff from the past week:
If you liked this email, I'd highly recommend checking out Gambuto's full article: Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting
Real-life super villian Martin Shkreli wants a temporary release from his seven-year fraud prison sentence. Why? He thinks he can cure coronavirus. I am not kidding.
Need something extra silly? Check out FailArmy's Anti Social Distancing mix.
When I'm not writing here, I'm studying vintage glassware for my business, Flipshark. Check out Great Big Story's video on The History Behind Italy's Ancient City of Glass
Aeon: Why Speaking to Yourself in the Third Person Makes You Wiser
Until next time...