Today I got to use up about thirty bananas.
I made banana bread, smoothies, froze up some in a mash for baby food and froze the rest. All the time remembering how not so long ago, in a very recent history to get a couple of bananas back in Czech Republic meant you had to stand in a line clutching a food allowance voucher in your hand. I used to laugh at grandma’s stories of how my dad loved his bananas so much that when she asked him for a bite he would use his thumb to measure the size of her bite. To this very day when mum brings home bananas, he still eats them within a day – just to make sure that he will have enough. Not enough bananas is a one charming side effect of totalitarian regimes.
New Zealand is banning cigarettes to stop youth from smoking. That’s great, I hate smoking anyway. To be honest I can’t believe I used to crave a cigarette whenever I had a glass of wine in my youth. Some people probably wish they’ve never started because it’s so hard to quit. State is acting like the good parent who drives their kids in the right direction. Clever, very clever. It will probably work just like illegal drugs. There are no addicts. Reduced pressure on the medical system, we are having a jolly good time. Or they could ban abortion. They could also ban same sex marriage. They could ban alcohol. Hmm that’s not so great you think while drinking that weekly Friday evening chardonnay in your hand. Not that great at all. Nobody is free while others are oppressed.
Yes, you might think, but cigarettes are awful and banning them is great, banning abortion is not even in the same arena. To you this might be obvious. Until you realise the difference between the two is only obvious in your head. It is only your emotional reaction based on your upbringing, education and religion. People are idiots though and they need direction. Aaaah true, the good old “everyone else but me is an idiot’’ rule. Works the best in traffic I tell you.
With the Corona virus in our worlds for the last two years, I think it’s pretty clear that it’s not going anywhere. We stand at a crossroads. We can choose to go in the direction of fear, having every little bit of our lives mandated, directed or maybe we go to the opposite direction and keep living the beautiful life that my generation was so lucky to have and not let it damage our mental health while we hide indoors.
I am absolutely convinced that all the corona restrictions and mandates had a far larger negative impact on this planet and wellbeing of animals and people. Just walking to get a coffee this morning, I could see a dozen of disposable face masks discarded on the sidewalk.
If we are finally believing scientists for once (I mean the ones that have not been censored of mainstream media) why can’t we finally start believing in global warming? In the ever deteriorating planet, in the massively reduced numbers of large animals, polluted oceans, waste that we can’t deal with and rainforests that will never be salvaged. There’s no debate there, there’s no published scientist that is denying it.
Yes, this was another year that we have ignored that there are far larger threats to the world as we know it. Global warming for fucks sakes. How long have you been hearing this phrase? So often that it almost means nothing to you. It’s something that we have been warned about so often that we no longer perceive the meaning. Yes, another year that humanity shifted their attention elsewhere.
How many flu seasons in Autumn, how many boosters, how many more people dying alone in hospitals and senior homes, how much more anxiety, depression caused by being isolated, how much more domestic violence and kids that stopped going to school, how much more money for earth destroying interests of the richest 1% we will have to see before we can realise that this is not working?
Treating each variant as a surprise that nobody expected, instead of the normal thing that happens with every virus we have to endure in the flu season. Quite frankly I have always thought it’s important to wash your hands and staying at home if you don’t feel well. Why do we need a mandate for this?
Yes, sun is bad for your skin and causes wrinkles, but it’s nice to bathe in it. Sugar makes you fat and causes illnesses, but chocolate is a pleasure of life. Binge watching tv-shows is not great for mental health, but we all do it. All these things that we know are bad for us, yet they are simple pleasures that we all do and not want to give up because otherwise life would lose its spark. Yet for some reason we are willing to give up life of adventure, life of a worry free feeling in a social setting, trouble free travel, we embrace restriction, but for what? I am convinced that corona restrictions and regulations caused more harm and illness than corona itself. All the small business owners that have lost livelihood whilst large corporations thrived. These reasons only scrape the surface of everything that runs through my head, but this is already too long of a read.
Shouting but it’s a pandemic does not change my mind. Saying that it overwhelms the health care system only makes me think that we need a better health care system. Saying that you are afraid, I can only suggest that you should get vaccinated, wash your hands, wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Losing freedom of choice, freedom of speech, freedom of movement will always be a price too high to pay no matter the risks. Good things do not need to be mandated. Scientific discussion should always be promoted and not censored.
Ultimately like my friend Karolina Kvas said: we all want the same thing, safety, health, our children to live long and happy lives. The truth is always subjective. For every single individual, this will look different so you should ignite kindness in your heart instead of hatred and realise that freedom is the only thing to keep fighting for. Let people decide whether they want to protect themselves with vaccine or with other measures. There’s no question that once you are mandated what you can smoke and inject in your body, it’s a totalitarian regime with only the top 1% winning.
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