Shut down the streets,
Rip up your walls.
Let your life be crumbled.
 
Why should I care if it doesn’t affect me?...
 
----------------------------------------------------------------
Only the old will wither away,
But what about the human spirit?
In the triumph of chaos monsters were unleashed,
Far worse than the bent-necked lady.
 
For in this tangled web of biological warfare,
Things could not have become more clearer.
The deadliest demons lie within us,
And they are drenched in the salvation of self-pity.
 
The truth is…
 
There exists no such thing as compassion,
It’s all a hoax created by globalization.
Under this deception we fool ourselves into thinking,
That humanity is kind, sweet and caring.
 
Yet all I can hear is….
“Only the old are dying”
 
How did you forget the softness of the arms that raised you?
How dare you banish the wisdom that created you?
Who are you to decide the value of life?
 
Maybe it wasn’t really you…
Maybe it was the conniving man inside you.

-Sharon Joseph

Normally I write about a science topic and create a work of art to accompany the concept. But today I’ve decided to do something a little different. This is an opinion based post and there will be no scientific component to it, however, it is still extremely relevant and maybe even more relevant than my usual posts.

When they say that difficult times bring out the best in people…I completely disagree. Throughout the past few weeks I have been hearing the frustration of those around me regarding the coronavirus. I’ve seen numerous individuals coping with it in different ways including memes, spending time with their family and trying to stay positive in this disastrous situation. None of this is an issue.

The issue started when ignorance began to take over. Though this does not apply to every individual person, I have come across many conversation where I’ve heard the comment, “Only the older people are at risk…I am not going to die from this.” I am not sure exactly when it is that we decided that the life of a 20 year old boy mattered more than the life of a 70 year-old man, or when we threw away our morals for the sake of our own wellbeing. But let me ask you this….

What if the virus only targeted those between the ages of 12-35? Would you still think the same? Would it be ok for you to be the vulnerable individual while others say.. “Oh, it doesn’t affect us”? What if it was someone you knew? Your grandparent, or a family friend who had a heart defect?

Would you still embrace your ignorance?

Fortunately, this is not the case. We have time to change the way we react and respond to situations like this. If this has been your mindset during this time, it is understandable. Fear can make us act out of character. But there is time to change and there is time to understand the depth of this issue; because by the looks of it, it seems like the virus will impact our lives for longer than we anticipated.

I hope that we can put this fear aside and realize that one life is not more valuable over another. I hope that every time your actions are driven by fear, you take a moment to think about the consequences and put yourself in other people’s shoes. The worst times CAN bring out the best in us, all we need to do is try.

We will get through this.