Counting Down to the Beginning of 2021-From My Soapbox

I  hope y'all had a peaceful and joyous Christmas. Now, just when you thought 2020 will never end, it's less than a handful of days left in the year. I wish 2021 would be better, but I think it won't be for a while. I'm getting on my soapbox for some hard truths.

Believe it or not, this thought is not political in nature. Parties come into power and go out of power. It's happened every four years a presidential vote  has been cast. In my lifetime the vote of the people have been counted 15 times so far.  Did he make a effective president or an ineffective one? That's only will  be debated until infinity comes to pass. I look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid as a guideline and how far we've fallen in the last year. We've (people world wide) taken hits on all levels they'd achieved or thought they had achieved. Not just towns, but entire nations!

Homesteaders probably fared better than urban areas but they were still hit because of shortages. Shortages. I'm talking about just generalities. There were shortages in seed thereby reducing produce availability to fatten or replenish our larders against "famine," The cockeyed weather freezing, drowning or scorching crops. It happened to the big commercial farms too reducing supplies to outlets leading to nation wide shortages. A virus shut down all but essentials with stay at home order for a majority of states here in the US for months. In fact, some states are reinstating shut down rules again. So production mulls are closing again. The country might have survived a couple weeks of this, but not months worth. No wonder the economy is in the toilet with very little encouragement to ramp back up. Fear mongering is at its highest point in decades. For the situation to improvement will take years not months. To make that happen means people have to work and not be so complacent in the future. There's 6 billion people who need to get their backsides together and work it out...not wait on the government to solve all their problems.

A tiny microscopic bug is tettering nations just like Spanish Flu and the Black Death did in their times. We got cocky in our modern medicine, it couldn't happen again, but it did. The testing kits are reading false positives and false negatives so are we any better for them? Does that increase your Maslow security needs? Probably not. They are close to a vaccine against it. I have the antibodies for the original virus, but guess what? There is now a mutated form so I can get it again. The virus isn't as high in fatalities as in the beginning because they know how to fight it even with high risk patients like me. As a side note, the active virus pictured looks almost like a Christmas card, doesn't it? Or, is that too morbid?

Now that I've looked back at 2020, what's ahead in 2021? More of the same I'm afraid to say. The problems we are facing today didn't evolve in several months or several years. It's like when the real estate balloon popped two decades ago and banks started failing. We are facing the same type of situation again now. Nobody is 100% safe from the effects. They'll have a vaccine next year (maybe). What percent of effectiveness can you accept because no anti viral is 100% effective. Then, there are folks like me that can't take them, or refuse because of their belief systems.

We, as a nation, pride ourselves as the land of plenty. But, millions are out of work and businesses are closing. Raw materials that were cheaper to import, now we have to depend on our own manpower to supply again at a more expensive price. Everyone is touting "Buy American," but how many folks can afford the higher price tags to do this? An off-the-grid, fully self sufficient homestead sounds better as each day passes. BUT will the powers that be let us keep it? So many restrictions are being passed to prevent you from living this way. Of course, you could try flying under the radar and praying you are not caught. Big brother is always watching you. Shades of 1984, anyone? Not that I'm paranoid or anything as I watch our rights slip or be corrupted into oblivion.

Believe me when I say, "The fat lady hasn't sung yet." It still can get a whole lot worse in 2021 before it gets better. Unless God comes down and smites everyone, it will happen. Knowing my history and seeing what's going on world wide (even with all the fake news going around), it's insane and scary world beyond our front and back doors. Let's hope I'm wrong, but prepare for if I'm right.

So what's the answer for all this doom and gloom I'm spouting? Tighten your fist, treat others as you want to be treated, and knuckle down. Supply for yourself and others if possible. Recycle or upcycle all you can. Don't know how to do something, learn by talking to others, researching, and try it. You may surprise yourself. Love each other. Protect each other. Respect each other. Shop locally if you can. It all starts with one person, is that you?

Thanks you for reading this far. Have a safe New Year's Eve and ringing in the new year. Raise a glass of whatever brings you cheer for me, because I'll be snuggling under my quilt until it is 2021. I can't soar with the eagles in the morning when I've been grounded with turkeys all night. I'm too old for that stuff, I've got near 50 hungry mouths to feed in the morning including mine.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo