Required Reading

Today, The New York Times published the names of the first thousand people in American whom had died of Corona Virus.

I decided to read every name.  There are sixteen full page columns in a very small font.  I read the first column.  It took me five minutes.  Each name is accompanied by a brief statement of that person's life.   It will take me 80 minutes to read all of the names.  But I'm going to do it  I'm going to read all the names because these people weren't statistics, they were people, with lives, loves, fears, hopes and dreams.  They all had people whom loved them and whom they loved.

Perhaps the worst thing I've felt since the whole pandemic struck us down with a brutality few of us have ever known, is reducing deaths to a statistical number, and calling ourselves lucky that 100,000 lives lost is a good number.  It is not.

My heart breaks for the country.  For the ignorance that is sweeping the country in a mask-off chasm of  those being serious about not spreading the disease, and those whose freedom is marked by not  wearing a mask and carrying an assault weapon.

My heart breaks because America, our country, is so full of ignorant, self-absorbed, unconcerned people who would rather grasp at conspiracy theories being fed them by illegitimate news sources than don a mask, or stay at home.

My heart breaks because this once admirable country is nothing more than a greed feeding frenzy of billionaires while they rile many of us up into believing we're all having such a difficult time because we don't have enough Mexican children locked in cages, crying for their parents.  It is a great crime against humanity and one that will not go unnoticed by the historians.

The Corona Virus Pandemic has caused the end of America.  Most people don't see that yet, but I do.  And if this is what America is today, these horrible things I'm seeing on my news feed, then its good that its over.  We are nothing more than an evil empire whose time has come and gone.  We should be held accountable for our crimes against our fellow man.

I don't know what will rise from the ashes of America.  I'm slightly glad I'm getting older and closer to death so I won't be forced to watch the transformation.  Transformations of any kind are full of pain.

But I do worry for all the people left, especially the youngest members of my family.  We all deserve better than America.  And I'm so ashamed of this country for making me say that.