The unknown is pretty scary and things that seem unrelentingly terrifying can suddenly become shrug-worthy the moment a small bit of information is introduced. When it came to COVID-19, many people were good with locking down for a little while and taking safety precautions where necessary.
Yet, as the information rolled in, the people became less afraid and began to logic out how to deal with this new plague without sacrificing their everyday humanity. It wasn’t exactly a thing the people in power were keen on. COVID-19 had given them power over the people as they’d never seen, and like a dog with his favorite toy, they bit down on power and growled menacingly at anyone trying to pry it from their jaws.
The misinformation that was given out by the government, as well as the warnings that the sky was falling at every turn, worked on the populace for a while, but now in 2021 where information about the virus is available and its effects are more available, the once horrifying monster of death is now more of a bothersome insect that might sting you and you’d never know it.
Case in point, Fox News took to the street to ask how the people felt about new indoor mask mandates being handed down from various government bodies. To say the least, they were more annoyed than concerned:
“I would do it just so I could go outside, but I wouldn’t be happy about it. I mean, in my eyes, we had the vaccine, the delta variant is just like another strand of the flu at this point,” said DC resident TJ Dashner. “At some point we have to just move on.”
…
Kevin Hoffman, who was visiting the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall told Fox News he would only wear a mask if required to enter a store.
“Unless like the store made me, because obviously stores have the right to refuse service, but that’s the only way I’d wear it,” said Hoffman.
In the state of Texas, and more specifically in the city of Dallas where I’m from, you’ll see various people wearing masks. There’s been a slight increase of it over the news of the Delta variant’s spread, but otherwise, most people don’t bother wearing them. They just don’t care.
I’m sure many of you reading this can report the same thing.
Again, we know what to expect from the virus and who it affects most. We also know that the delta variant isn’t as deadly despite our own “experts” and government figures telling us so.
(READ: Do We Really Need to Worry About the Delta Variant?)
Humanity was eventually going to win out against the virus. Either the humans do what’s necessary to limit its spread and find a way to prevent it to the point where it chokes itself off (which we did) or the virus does what viruses do and quickly evolved to be more transmissible but less deadly to its hosts for better longevity (which it’s doing).
The ultimate goal is that humanity continues to do what it does; live. It wants to work, play, eat, drink, reproduce, and go through experiences. It’s what we’re drawn toward, and the government’s attempts at stopping this from happening weren’t going to last. It can’t. That kind of life isn’t compatible with human nature.
As the virus continues to morph it’ll become far less of a concern and the “experts” and politicians who press the idea that we’re all going to die tomorrow will eventually be ignored if not cast out of office for their repeated attempts at control.
No matter how you swing it, the pandemic is over. It’s time to stop being afraid. It’s time to return to life.
