A QUARANTINE PERSONAL EVALUATION…

By Silvia Uribe

I’m sorry to say this and go against the current, but I am quite content being quarantined. I’m healthy, don’t get me wrong, and I’m not dying of fear of becoming infected either, but I’d like to remain healthy. I do get around, every now and again. I like seeing what’s going on “out there.” I like talking with family and friends over the phone, on FaceTime, and seeing some of them, very few, in person. I work from home most of the time, but if I leave my fortress’ safety, to exercise or run to the store I cover my face and wear gloves, as the scientists advise. So, if I have to evaluate my social distancing is at an 85%, and I’m content with that.

I must say that the “out there” that I mentioned, seems a bit outlandish. The empty streets with mostly empty commercial spaces give an eerie feeling. However, every tone of green of the trees is greener, the sky appears brighter (either because I have less chance to look at it, or because there is less pollution, or both) and these things give me joy. The view of the ocean is completely unobstructed and the sense of calm, due to the abundance of birds singing, and the lack of car noises, is like a river of peace. 

However, there is one thing that disturbs me more and more, as the days go by. Face masks. As necessary as they are, they make me sad. Why? It is simple. I miss your face! I may or may not know you, but I miss your face. With the masks we are faceless beings, moving from place to place, with no expression; making lines at stores with no identity that we can account for. We look cold and... generic. If, on top of wearing masks, we wear shades, it is even worse. I cannot see the expressions that your eyes convey. I cannot see the human being inside you at all.

I miss seeing my fellow humans, and I’ll be fully content when, after the quarantine, I can see your face again, with the peace of mind of knowing that both of us will be ok.

Teleworking, is another thing I love. I must admit that working from home is quite different and has its challenges. But c'mon! isn't it great to not be rushed in the mornings? I have been a proponent of this for years, and for years I encountered a myriad of nay-sayers. Today, the world is finally understanding that most of the things we do in the office can be done from afar, and in much less time. I feel validated. 

And finally come the concerns that I have: Other than those who contract the virus, of course, are the small business owners. Those who have put all their money and dreams in their venture, and they might lose everything. And their workers that relied in their now nonexistent jobs; their families, that not being able to have a steady income can’t pay their rent, or buy food, or clothing… I have the tendency of getting very anxious about things like these, things that I cannot change; because they are way over my scope of influence. So, I immerse myself in whatever I can do, like cleaning my closets of unused items and donating them to those who I know need them. And, volunteering for an organization that offers financial resources to those who can’t get any financial relieve from anywhere else. This makes me feel that I’m doing something to contribute. We all can do something. If you have a sense of impotency, I invite you to help someone you know, in any way you can. We all know people in need. We know who they are. Reach out. Don’t wait until they come asking for help. Helping others is the only recipe I know to finding satisfaction, and contentment during uncertain times. 

As for the things I cannot solve, I do my best to pray that the situation won’t get as bad as I fear, and then I put my head in the ground, as a self-preservation method.

Please, stay safe.

Sex, Violence, and the U.S.

By Silvia Uribe

Sex represents many things for human beings. From the most sublime to the most sinful, anything related to sex has always a high rating. We know that "sex sells", and that is why the media keeps including sexy scenes in everything. Whether it makes sense or not, we get at least a couple of bed scenes almost in every T.V. show, every movie, and every play; books are not the exception, and music too, is plagued with sexual references.

One would think that the over-exposure to the sex theme would make us immune to its spell, but that's not the case.

But, if sex sells, violence and blood don't sell any less. It would seem that we are more interested in knowing who harassed, attacked, or killed someone, than in most important things that happen in our town, and in the world. We seem to crave all the gruesome details of say, a deadly attack on the street. We want to know which type of weapon was used, how many times was the person hurt, and where the wounds were located. If we can see the pictures of the gory scene, it is even better.

Like little leaches, we are never satisfied. The more blood the merrier.

As consumers, we are guilty of the extremely low level of intellectual content that we get in the media. We demand either instant gratification, in the case of sex, or ultimate disgust sprinkled with touches of anxiety, irritation and fear in the case of violence.

That's how we end up watching Nancy Grace type shows (you know that screechy voice repeating the same thing a hundred times) , or all the investigative shows like Dr. ‘G', Coroner, and other similar ones. Decades ago, it would have been unthinkable to have shows involving real dead bodies. It would've been not only disrespectful, but probably also illegal.

Whatever the reasons, we remain in front of the T.V. or buying books, or movies, that may shock us, but do not make us think. We are too lazy, or too afraid to put our upstairs machinery to work. "No thinking" could be our motto. We're becoming an instinct based society. Our desires, and adrenaline rushes take more and more of our time and energy, particularly our youth's, the future of our country and of our world.

By allowing our intellect's downhill trend to continue, we will have no one to blame but us when others, making good use of their brain, take over the leadership of our world. China is already, at least financially, stronger than the U.S. If children in China are not intellectually starved as ours seem to be both at school (in a broken system), and elsewhere in society, our destiny as a country is sealed. In China kids are having something more than video games as main dish, with sex and violence on the side.

While I was visiting there and struggling between my very rudimentary Mandarin and their no better English, I noticed many youngsters hanging out, and having animated, intelligent conversations with adults. They were enjoying each other, and learning from each other. Today, our perpetually "on the go" American culture neglects to promote this type of exchange. Our family interactions, for the most part, are limited to watching the extremely violent "24", the bed stories of "Gray's Anatomy" and the sexy bodies in skimpy dresses in "Dancing with the Stars". When these series end, our family "connection" is over.

Are we missing the point in looking for our country's enemies elsewhere? Maybe not, but if we continue overlooking the fact that what can bring our country down faster than anything else is our lack of deep personal connection with each other, and our lack of thought processing capabilities, we will be in deep trouble, real fast.

The good news is that it is not too late to change this downhill path.

Silvia Uribe is a freelance writer with a Latino perspective.

Cross-posted at edhat.com