On Tuesday I was golfing in shorts enjoying 75 degree weather. This morning there is a frost delay with a forecasted high of only 50.
On September 11, 2001 the country rallied around the killing of nearly 3,000 U.S citizens by terrorist. It was the largest killing of U.S. citizens by ouside forces on our own land since the revolutionary war. We rallied around our leaders with patriotism at an all time level. Our freedoms were taken away by a Republican president for over a week, yet no one protested. We didn’t protest the major change in how we check in at airports which continues to this day. We accepted it becasuee we were U.S. citizens first and foremost. We were not liberals or conservatives or Republicans or Democrats. We were Americans.
I contrast that to our current situation, where over 7,000 U.S. citizens have died in the last week as a result of the corona virus which has killed nearly 240,000 since the beginning of this year. Yet our country has not rallied around fighting this tremendous killer. In fact it has divided our country. Wearing a mask or not wearing a mask and social distancing has become a political statement for people. We are no longer Americans first. We have become a nation of liberals or conservatives, Republicans or Democrats. Doing what is right for the whole is no longer our priority. The patriotism generated from 9/11 no longer exists. It is a shame.
Yesterday I had my annual physical. I talked to my doctor about my mental state as I told him I noticed that I had very little patience for people who offered their opinions or told me how do to things when I didn’t ask for their opinion. It is especially bothersome when it is for volunteer work I am doing and the person complaining has chosen not to volunteer and participate but feels it is OK to complain. I have always prided myself in in my patience and tolerance for others. You cannot umpire and refereee for as longs as i have been doing it if you are sensitive to being criticized. . Unfortunately my patience is growing thin. My doctor assured me I was fine and I had nothing to worry about. Some of it is age related but most of it is a result of the stress from the corona virus and the political environment that we are dealing with. As long as I am not reacting violently, he said I am fine. It is good to know that I can continue to follow one of my mantras. “If you no playa the game, you no makka the rules.”