2020 Will things ever go back to normal?

When I say 2020, I am not referring to the clarity of vision.

I am talking about a specific year, a moment in history that affected me, and everyone - regardless of your ethnicity, creed, or religion.

I am referring to a contagion, a virus, that has left our loved ones bedridden .

The job cuts, the layoffs which placed some people in a position to where you could barely afford the cost of essential living expenses, rent…utilities…

Our social life was postponed due to the shutdown of facilities.

Who would ever think it would affect churches and other places of worship? Homes became the new ministries.

Daily, we all struggled to maintain our sanity, through the incomprehensible social, and financial miseries.

I remember the false sense of happiness as I cried while I laughed.

My funds were once vast.

The pandemic made me swiftly realize, “It is hard to survive…even if you had money stashed.”

I remember the challenges of stretching finances, hoping two twenty dollar bills last.

The Pandemic

Not all heroes wear capes.

We realized angels, and saviors come in all sizes and shapes.

There was nothing about the year 2020 that was terrific.

I am sure we can all agree when compared to other years in the past decade, 2020 was the most horrific.

It was like a dark dimension, and a constant looking for an escape.

It affected all, to where we immediately became concerned for our personal fate.

Aisles of stores became vacant…

The shut down, and people-less pavements…

Human behaviors became flagrant…

No human interaction! The virtual graduations…

Graduates are mute to applause-through a translucent screen, they can’t hear your congratulations.

Some of us lost estates.

Some of us went from grossing six figures to barely grossing no money, year to date.

Some of us struggled to feed our face.

We were once accustomed to going places bare faced.

Still until this day, we all struggle to adjust to wearing cloth or surgical masks on our face,

whether it is while outdoors, in a public place, or a private space.

If I did not want to breathe, I might as well had been an astronaut without a protective suit in outer space.

Question… Did the pandemic affect the astronauts in space…?

It was tough to get a house or an apartment because there was a wait.

Some of us were so stressed that we barely had a desire to be intimate with our mate.

When things did finally open back up, prices started to inflate.

I guess this was a person’s or businesses’ way of recovering the tremendous loss of profits due to the shut-down by charging for goods and services double, triple, and at times… quadruple the standard rate.

Some individuals and businesses had more than enough money to take care of their wants and needs; some increased prices not because of their individual suffering, they increased prices due to PURE GREED!

Why make it hard for the average consumer?

Present day, the prices continue to grow like a tumor.

Personal Relationships

Financial stress is more than enough to make spouses clash.

And this statement is true especially to all of us- no matter your social class.

“We all are just one paycheck away from being homeless!”

Money is the root of evil, but more so in 2020 the lack of money was the root of all evil.

Without money we all tend to lose focus.

The lack of money causes us to think things that are ferocious and for some of us, thinking things that are ferocious progresses into doing deeds that are atrocious.

It is safe to say, “When there is a lack of money, poverty will always be the prognosis.”

The lack of money activates our primitive instincts, as survival will become everyone’s primary focus.

The Stimulus

When things opened back up, and when it came to going back to work people were not in a rush nor were they intrigued.

Amongst some, the frequent stimulus packages bred laziness leading less people to apply for jobs on employment platforms ranging from Zip recruiter, to glass door, to Indeed.

Then came the PPP loan, in which some people deserved. Then there were some people who falsified their application using the money solely for unjustified personal benefit. PURE GREED!

The Pandemic: Cascading Effects

Then there comes a spike in Asian and African American violence.

Which brings me to ask one question?

“If violence did not impact your ethnicity or your culture, would you protest and fight for what is right? Or, would you stand and observe on the sidelines and unbreak your silence because it is not your ethnicity or your culture that is affected by the violence?”

Humanity in general fails to realize one thing: “It is our own grudges and prejudices, that are the barriers to ethnic, racial, social, and cultural alliance."

Our pride, and our egos, are the cause of our defiance.

Then as the year progresses and the next year approaches come a new variant, and the discovery of COVID Related Psychosis.

There were even some people pretending to have mental health issues all because they needed shelter because they are homeless.

Besides racial and police tension, suicide and suicide attempts amongst adults, adolescents, and children, was on the ascension.

Some of the causes were due to depression, loss of quality of life, and loss of social life.

There was also an increased need for suicide prevention.

The scare tactics, the propaganda, it’s the way of the world.

People will express how they feel; emotions will no longer be closeted.

To prevent the injection of scare tactics into our reality, we must first stop fear from manifesting in our minds. That is the only way to prevent fear from manifesting from the mind into our destiny. The failure to stop the manifestation of fear will result in fear being deposited.

Part of the Problem Vs. Part Of The Solution

Is the vaccine part of the problem or is it part of the solution?

Some of us were influenced by conspiracy theories due to the premature development of the vaccine causing some to think that it causes genetic mutation and was developed for the sole purpose of social execution.

Introduced in 2021, was a vaccine in lieu of a cure.

Inadvertent effects of the vaccine lead some of us to ask, “Are the contents in the vaccine impure?”

No matter the circumstance, we all are survivors! Humanity will always adapt and endure.

And I say this impartially:

1. “Would you rather receive the vaccine knowing there is a great chance you would survive sustaining the quality of health?”

2. “Would you rather not receive the vaccine, decreasing the likelihood of your survival and quality of health?”

Whatever decision you make, make sure you are doing this out of your own sound mind, uninfluenced by others, and according to what is best for you and your own personal situation. Something new always prompts curiosity and skepticism. Don’t be influenced by someone’s opinions, theories that are not supported by facts, that lacks logical explanation and reasoning. If you want advice, I strongly suggest you become knowledgeable, and competent through research. Only seek advice from credible sources. Furthermore, please do what is best for you and your own individual situation. Exercise free will-let the choice solely be yours!

Whether you were a white-collar worker, blue-collar worker, an entrepreneur, or a recording artist who could not do live shows and tour,

Or…whether you spoke English, Spanish, Chinese, or greeted someone by saying bonjour,

No matter who you are, or who you were, I can rest assure, - 2020 for all of us was a year that was far from grandeur.

2020 & Beyond: The Lessons Learned

2020 was quite eventful.

No matter your degree or credentials,

your job was not safe if it was not deemed as essential.

Survival is the mind’s natural tendency.

It is ok to have a source of income that empowers your passion, but if you want to thwart an incomprehensible financial misery,

make sure you find an auxiliary source of income and gain subsequent skills in an essential career industry.

Even though the pandemic is slowly coming to an end, the stress has permanently inhabited our memories.

Let me share one of my memories:

Due to a furlough, I could not afford to go on my yearly shopping spree.

It was Christmas. My four-year-old daughter came into the living room and realized there was nothing under the Christmas tree. She asked: “Dad why isn’t there any presents under the Christmas Tree?”

I told her, “The pandemic has made it to the North Pole honey. Santa has COVID. This year he may be able to make it to our chimney.”

But thankfully, after a furlough, I was able to work a subsidiary job as a Lyft and Uber Driver, just so I-secretly unknown as Santa, would be able to make the delivery.

How soon will things go back to normal?

In 2020 and beyond, will we continue wear masks, siphoning air through our paper snorkels?

Don’t expect a light-speed tempo,

The recovery more than likely will be gradual, and eventual.