Re: Corona Virus: is it the beginning of the end?
I think I'll look into those cotton masks, it makes sense that they would be more breathable and probably a bit more comfortable. I, too, wear ones that are a heavier material, and they can get rather annoying at times.
I agree with the thrust of what Assault Freak is saying, and here's why. Social distancing should never, ever have become the buzzword for the thing we all should be doing to keep ourselves and others safe. Physical distancing, yes, but not ssocial. Words do have meaning, and the media using this term has not only allowed it to seep into the public consciousness in a way that is impossible to undo now, the connotations of said term are very negative. Now that most people are using apps to do the bulk of their communication, apps, I might add, which are linked to poorer mental health in those who use them excessively, the social and emotional impacts of conducting both our business and leisure activities in such ways that humans aren't really equipped to adapt to over a long period of time is going to be devastating in itself. As I've previously stated, it doesn't excuse a lack of physical distancing, but I fear that, several years from now, we're going to see a lot more people dealing with mental health concerns that could have been prevented by perhaps using a less polarizing term than social distancing, and also, y'know, having a system in place that can do well at meeting the needs of those who are suffering. But that, too, is a double-edged sword, considering that mental health professionals aren't immune to the virus and its effects, either, as I've also previously stated. Quick side note: I tried online therapy last year for about 7 months. I used the Talkspace app, and frankly, while I feel that I made more progress than I would have without it, I didn't like the overall experience. First, at least with Talkspace, you are able to schedule 30-minute video chats once a month, if I remember correctly, with your therapist. I think you could do more if you paid for a more expensive plan. Well, I decided to forego that feature of the plan, because, as a blind person, I would feel anxious and as though I was inconveniencing my therapist while I screw around trying to get my phone's camera pointed just right, never mind the fact that that would probably eat up at least 5 minutes of the allotted time. Speaking of allotted time, you could send unlimited text messages, but I, personally, did not use this feature much. Mostly, my therapist and I used the audio messages feature. When sending messages that way, you could only speak for 5 minutes at a time, and then it would cut off, and you'd need to send another. This made me feel rushed, not because 5 minutes is an insignificant amount of time, but it's quite hard to discuss topics, particularly difficult ones, when you are literally watching a clock every few seconds. I'm not saying this sort of thing doesn't work for others, but it really didn't for me. The only reason I stuck with it for as long as I did was that I was given 6 months free in order to test their app and website and provide intermittent feedback on the accessibility of said platforms. Had it not been for their generosity in that matter, I surely would not have forced it to work for as long as I did. This having been said, I'm sure I'm not alone in these feelings, so telemedicine is bound to make others uncomfortable as well, to say nothing of the fact that humans thrive on in-person social interaction. To go back to my original point, just last year, there was a lot said about the increasing epidemic of loneliness among an always-connected generation. Loneliness, if gone unchecked, according to several studies, could have devastating effects on one's physical health. It was likened to being a 2 pack a day smoker in terms of how profound isolation, whether perceived or real, can effect your heart, blood pressure, and so on. Now, we've shifted to saying keep your kids off Facebook! to oh well, online learning is fine. And it's not even that I disagree with this. We have to do what we have to do in order to slow the spread of this virus. But the fact of the matter is, we are not built to do all our socializing in a bubble, floating in a sea of bits and bytes. Somehow, some way, that is going to catch up to us. And that's what I fear the most, because, as I've also said several times in this topic alone, we just don't have the structures in place to support people's mental health. Even if we did, if such infrastructures popped up tomorrow and wouldn't buckle under the strain of a heavily damaged system, the vast majority wouldn't trust it for a myriad of reasons, most of which I wouldn't blame them for one bit.
Basically, I'm just thinking out loud here. These are thoughts that weigh heavily on my mind a lot of the time. I do not say all of this to condemn the act of wearing masks, or of trying to keep physical distance from those not in your immediate circle whenever possible. It's just that I often feel hopeless when this topic comes up, because there's no way to prevent the inevitable no matter how you look at it. And, just as it serves everyone well to care about the physical health of others, while doing what you can to take their comfort into account as much as you can, so, too, should the same considerations be applied to the mental health and safety of those around you. Unfortunately, as a society, we've failed miserably at that since Freud leered at every "abnormality" he saw and ascribed a sexual meaning to it, to the deplorable conditions of asylums, to labelling hysteria and homosexuality as diseases of the mind to be erradicated by whatever cruel means necessary, and now here we are, stretching our collective mechanisms for dealing with stress to the limit. It's a precarious dance on a tightrope we're doing here, and it only takes one misstep to cause a collapse whose ripples will be felt for generations to come. And what sucks the most about it is, my empathy, of which my friends say I have too much of, doesn't mean a goddamn thing. In fact, me saying all this, I know it's going to be misconstrued by a bunch of people as me throwing my hands up and saying fuck it, let's all go back to normal and not care about who gets sick and dies. But really, even if I did think that would solve the greater issue (it wouldn't) we'd still have the effects of all that needless grief, which would screw up the population anyway. It's just a terrible situation no matter how you slice it. I honestly wish I could stop thinking about it, but it's not in my nature to let go of the concerns of others.
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