Thoughts On A Distressed World

   Dearest friends, acquaintances, and people I will never know; right now our world is in quite the state of distress. And my heart goes out to all of them. It is very hard for all of us in other countries and here in America, whether you see and deal with the virus daily, or are living in fear that the virus is coming. Many Americans where I live are staying home as much as possible, and on a lighter note, I'm sure the Introverts are having a great time. XD
   Did you really think I could be serious the whole time? :) It was too good a joke to pass up! Sorry. . .
   I still have to work, and traffic is actually great! But again being more serious, I was driving home from work and I saw a sign over the freeway encouraging people to, "Stay home!" "Keep your distance!" and "Think of others!" I snorted and said "no" out loud to no one in particular. I do think it is important to try and make sure a major outbreak occurs, but it is difficult to watch a world live in fear. We've completely overhauled our lifestyles in order to prevent ourselves from getting the Corona Virus. And it saddens me. If I wasn't almost forced to, I wouldn't have changed anything. But most of my friends probably aren't willing to get together, and where would we go? Libraries, stores, and even parks are closed. And we all want to be practical and not have people to our homes.
   On the subject of living in fear, the first example that always comes to mind is Star Wars. Obviously.
   But I'm serious! I think of the Dark Ages (the 20 years between Revenge of the Sith & A New Hope) and how they always talk about the fact that the Empire rules through fear.

"Fear, will keep the local systems in line."

- Grand Moff Tarkin

   I myself find it so easy to be worried and afraid of the world events. If we let the fear control us it will change how we live.
   I recently had an epiphany about my main character from a story. The gimmick was that she was anger. Like a representation of anger. Then I realized she wasn't. She was fear, not anger. The reason she was anger was because she hadn't controlled her fear in her early life and it had blossomed to anger and misery. And as we know:

   I find myself often making decisions out of fear. And that's no good. It's easy. Fear can be good, it's a natural instinct. There's a Boba Fett quote that's something like, fear is good, it can keep you alive in a situation. And that was sad. . . I don't remember how that quote goes. But when your fear controls your life, it's no longer healthy.
   My mom sent me an article recently about COVID-19 and C.S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis wrote some stuff during the Atomic Age and it's just great. It totally applies to today. I've underlined my favorite parts, and just replace atomic bomb with coronavirus:

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. “How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

— “On Living in an Atomic Age” (1948) in Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays

   So my brothers and sisters, I encourage you to stay strong. My mother said the other day concerning another person: "If it gives you peace to obsess and do all these things to prevent yourself from getting the virus, then do it. But if you're only getting more stressed from trying to protect yourself it isn't worth it." So be patient, strong, and know that God gives us hope. As Christians we don't have to worry because we know that we are going to Heaven if we die. But most of the world doesn't and that is why they panic. If they get COVID-19 and die, that's it for them. Their lives, boom, gone. It is quite sad. So don't panic. 'Cause even in the worst case scenario, (which hasn't happened) we have the hope of a new life after we die. And I can't wait!

So now please laugh at the corona virus with this hilarious parodies of Bohemian Rhapsody, and famous songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVsY-bZ4o1A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gfOHEaHdjo

Transformers, more than meets the eye.