March 21st
4.00 pm and the main thoughts of living with the coronavirus are still more than prevalent each passing day, as the World Health Organisation continues to announce these inescapable facts, THE WORLD WILL NOT BE SAFE, UNTIL EVERYONE IS SAFE FROM THE VIRUS. It would also be good if collective major leading powers would say, The world will not be safe until all nuclear weapons are dismantled and destroyed. Another inescapable fact, no one can argue about.
For some, the prospect of summer holidays abroad in the coming months still remains a dream, and for those with hotels and hospitality venues in any country. This is not welcome news. Everyone is having to accept this uncomfortable and unpalatable truth, but people through human nature want some normality to return, and the best feeling that touches many is seeing the sunshine through this cold, and long winter of repressive weather. Laughter, communicating with others and fun can still be if one has the state of mind believing good health is truly your wealth. Big changes grow when your country or town remains in lockdown. Each day in my town of seeing further shops disappear, after trading more than thirty years, all once belonging to major retail chains. The average population to this small countryside town of mine has always been no more than 20,000. The saddest fact again is the inescapable fact that most of its highly educated young people leave the area for a better future elsewhere.
This is the story in most countries, and will continue to be so, when young children today are better educated, and far more advanced with knowledge as they have access to facts and news around the world in seconds. You cannot stop the human spirit to stay still in the same thoughts of yesterday, as life will always bring changes where hopefully better ideas will bring a better future. Every parent or grandparent can see daily with their children the progress and how advanced they are today, than what was taught to their parent's generation. Laptops and all manner of tools for children learning shows how fast change will come about, and all countries will have to adapt far faster with their future plans for their people. It’s clear how many countries are seeing protests with the young generation, as they can’t accept the present status quo. Seeing protests of others, where some are brutally subjugated and repressed still does not dampen their young spirits in seeking change and have a better future. I saw one of my granddaughters a couple of days ago, just nine years old typing fast on her laptop just like an adult in an office position. Nothing new about this if you are familiar with your children’s present learning system today, but these children and present students must have the opportunities, expectations, and dreams that can be fulfilled.
So many major countries just like mine in the U.K. were not prepared and ill-advised for a virus epidemic. Even scientists in the health sector metaphorically hit a brick wall last March with wrong decisions made, and they too still do not have all the needed answers to contain this virus. The word variant is a new word in these last twelve months which has appeared to bring fear to all countries in case, the present vaccine cannot prevent further infections. The third wave of this virus threatens now Italy, France, and Germany with another lockdown, as you hear businesses in major cities of Italy going bankrupt. The suspension not to use the AstraZeneca vaccine in sixteen countries of the E.U. could prove to be a disastrous mistake later, when accountability will be made. Now, this suspension has been overturned, leaving an enormous great cloud of doubt in all countries where millions of doses still remain in fridges which could save thousands of lives. The suspensions have proved so controversial given the lack of any solid evidence that cases of blood clots are linked to the vaccine. The head of Italy’s medicines agency said that Italy’s decision to suspend the vaccine had been a political one, based on copying the example set by Germany, France, and other countries. In Germany, epidemiologists critical of the decision to suspend the vaccine warned further harm would slow vaccination roll-out as in the past few weeks the threat of a third wave has been growing slowly in many E.U. countries. The countries reporting the newest cases are France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Others with high caseloads are Sweden and Greece, but most deaths per day being now recorded are in Russia, Germany, France, Italy, and Ukraine. This clearly shows we are a long way from reaching the end of this road, yet this wrong policy clearly shows politics is one of the main forces in preventing a coalition of all countries from working together. It also shows the theory of being a big country is best, as it now shows a small country can more quickly outperform a large country.
One plus to show with this virus, although many deaths have occurred with incompetent decisions made, and business failures, all the result of this silent enemy the virus. Many people are having to live a simpler way of livening, as fewer journeys by vehicles are needed, less money being spent on none essential items, like clothing unless you have growing children. Now not just going out and spending money for the sake of just spending. Most of all with families and I can speak of my own when I say to them, “Where have you been today, and they can only answer saying, “ We’ve been out for a walk.” Later I’m sure many will perhaps realise that spending money in different occasions, is not all you need in life to be happy. Our world of materialism has created a culture to consume unwanted goods, and being given this false illusion to purchase more of what others might have. We have created a society that cannot feel happy about themselves unless they wear the latest fashion or have the latest craze or fad. Also, we have made false assumptions and impressions that beauty is only what you see in the human form. We have not taught our children that beauty comes from within one, where beautiful thoughts of giving and helping others show what a beautiful thinking person this is.
These thoughts can roll on and on, and the wearing of masks may be with us for a while yet. Already restrictions prevent people from travelling to other countries, so as we see we are having to adapt to a different way of living. I have a daughter who is a lawyer defending children of child abuse, and she told me yesterday, the child abuse cases have gone up 40 percent in the last year. There are many dark stories about the consequences of being in a restricted lockdown, with alcoholism, deterioration of some peoples mental health, especially for the elderly who may be living on their own and their families are located in distant places.
With young people doom and gloom is not on their menu, nor must it be for any of us, as we all must aspire to see better days. I have a willow tree, I can see from where I write sit and paint, and it’s been naked throughout these winter months, but I can see now more green leaves gradually growing each day. This shows that change cannot be prevented, as life in nature has its own way where it changes from season to season. Let’s believe better reasons will prevail in bringing about great changes, as yesterday we cannot change, but today and tomorrow we can, by just believing in ourselves. You don’t have to follow what others might think. Better days will return.
We are all on this metaphorical river of life, and I’ve just seen in the past year my youngest daughter begin to recover from addiction. In the previous six months to last March, her life by all accounts of doctors should have been taken. Last March two hours just before a lockdown began, she was accepted into the most beautiful place for rehabilitation. By fate, my eldest daughter, who once had her life saved by a miracle, was blessed to get my daughter to this new, I believe, a heavenly door. Throughout this last year, my youngest daughter has had to climb a very big mountain to save her life. But she learned from day one, it was not by luck or by chance, she arrived at this very special time and place. She soon began to believe, Jesus was walking with her, and a lifeboat was given to save her. She also found her vocation of now helping other young women who had fallen into the same abyss as herself. Fifteen years of walking in the deepest valleys of hell was a long lesson to have, but she knows she had to fall to the bottom of this dark pit, to realise her life had far greater meaning and purpose.
I have to believe, there is a greater help for all of us, if you want to change the way you are sailing in life. Strong belief in yourself is one of the tools that will open the doors to your dreams, but I believe better doors will be seen where the future will hold more love and light.
