I’ve felt it and I get a good bit of messages around it. In the past few months, I have seen myself become a lot more political than I’d like which has brought about some negative emotions in me. Anger, worry, anxiety, bitterness, and you name it. I know what it is like for all of you as well when you deal with so many things from media and politics, worrying if we will ever get back to normal or how the new normal will look like. You’ve been deceived, lied to, undermined, coerced, and it hurts a lot.
A great number of you have seen your livelihoods, family life, and everything about your very self challenged. You have been forced to make changes practically against your own will and you step out into a world that is bitter, hostile, and filled with anxiety. I know, I can relate, because I have felt a lot of the same negative feelings that are going through your head. You wish for justice, relief, clarity, and for karma to take its course against those who you think have harmed you. A lot of you probably find it hard to find any love or kindness towards your fellow human beings given how divided we are on politics these days.
I can relate all too well as I’d step out of my apartment in NYC months ago only to expect a confrontation with some Karen whining about me not wearing a mask. It is just so easy to be paranoid, bitter, and on-edge against your fellow citizen because you do not know what venom they are ready to spew. Most of all, it drives you wild, you almost want to be a recluse and shut yourself off from society. In the past few months, my sense of empathy and sympathy have started to slowly take a back seat and I hated it.
Lately, I have come to just how overwhelming this can all be and how to actually deal with it. I’ve had an epiphany in some ways lately that I wanted to share with a lot of you who feel the same way I do.
First of all, acknowledge it, none of this shit is normal!
There isn’t something wrong with you because you are livid about all of the shit going on. In fact, you have every single reason in the world to be livid. You are right to worry, be angry, paranoid, and just feel like shit is out of whack, far from normal and not okay. I’d worry more if you were relaxed and acted like nothing was wrong, you are either one of the elites who lives on their private island or just a plain psychopath. Acknowledge that you feel off and that you have every right to feel that way.
Now that you have that out of the way, see what you can actually control.
Are you worried about dying of COVID? Then get vaccinated, get the booster, and practice proper hygiene.
Are you worried about losing your job due to COVID? Try to find the industries that will be in demand, start job hunting right now, and try to learn skills that will get you a job in the future.
Are you worried about lockdowns and restrictions coming to your area? Try to figure out a plan to move to a part of the world with less restrictions, for those of you in the US at least, but do realize that things can change overtime there too.
Are you worried about some New World Tyrannical Government taking over and getting rid of all of your rights? Well, try to do all you can to move to the most free part of the world possible right now.
Are you worried about a Karen harassing you for not wearing your mask when you walk out? Grab some headphones and ignore them, if they try to tell you anything then say you are busy and ignore them.
Are you worried about future damage from COVID itself or the vaccines? Try to schedule appointments with doctors, note any side effects you are experiencing, and try to live as healthy of a life as possible.
The reality is, while you can control what you can, if it is going to happen then it is going to happen.
You can practice all the proper precautions and take care of yourself, even get vaccinated, but if COVID is going to come for you then believe me it is going to come for you. Similarly, you can move to the free part of the world and vote for the best leaders but if some tyrannical government is going to take over then there is only so much you can do. In the same way, you can be avoidant and put those headphones in but if some Karen is desperate for a showdown then it is going to happen.
All too often, as people, we worry and stress a lot about an unfortunate outcome which makes us just as miserable as we would be if that outcome actually happened. The truth is if a deadly virus is going to come for you, then at some point there is little you can do to stop it. If some tyrannical government successfully plans a world takeover, then chances are they are going to takeover.
On one hand, yes do your part. Stay healthy and practice proper hygiene so you can lessen your risk of being infected from a deadly virus. Take the proper vaccine and practice the basics of self-care (wash those hands!) so you do not get infected. Avoid areas of the world and dirty places in general which are likely to get you infected with the virus. Do your part and once you have done all you can in your control, leave it in the hands of fate. Accept that even after all that, some deadly virus can still catch you and kill you.
Similarly, for an evil one-world tyrannical government, do your part. Vote with your feet by moving to parts of the world which are more free and have less restrictions. Get involved with local politics so you can have a say in that you want and the kind of leaders you want representing you. Vote so your voice matters and get others to get involved in voting for the right leaders as well. If you have the financial means, start your own community or thing to help gain support for your cause. Even after all that, understand and accept that if a Totalitarian Government is going to takeover, then they are going to take over. Do not become one of those nuts that riots, please.
At the end of the day, realize that the best you can do is enjoy life right now.
Yes, times are tough but if you are reading this, you are more privileged than most. You still have food to put in your mouth, a roof over your head, and hopefully a decent person or two in your life. You can hop on the internet and find a great community for yourself where their views are similar to yours. The unfortunate thing is that yes, things can get quite a lot more difficult from where we are a right now.
When that time does come, you wish you would have had at least some good memories to look back on.
I did it, just today.
After months of misery, I decided to walk out today and it was great. I made small talk with this cute girl who lives in my building and from there, took a nice walk around the block. People were out and about, living their lives. While things may become more difficult, it is important to make sure that you made the most of times when they were slightly easier. At the end of the day, there is still a life to live.
