THINKING OUT LOUD

I think this virus is going to end soon just as it broke out. The positive thing about it is it shows who we really are. It is like a mirror where we can see not our own faults, weaknesses, and anxieties but also those of others. It shows if we are selfish or not, ready to help one another or stay away.

Isolation is a good tool for doing some introspection. I can see on Facebook that some people are spending days reading, binging, chatting, some are bored some are not, but I hope they are using this time to reflect on their lives, things they would change about themselves or their surroundings. 

For me, I noticed the manipulation in the news that has been going on since this whole commotion started. Manipulation with words, numbers, and information. All sorts of information have been circulating on social networks and TV. 

I think that the virus could have been prevented from spreading. I traveled to Israel on 12 February. It was obvious to me there were a lot of "masked" travelers both in Budapest and Tel Aviv. Meaning, these people were behaving responsibly but the governments could have stopped them from embarking in the first place or put them into quarantines after the planes landed, but nobody did anything. 

Serbian government also failed to respond on time in my view and they admitted it themselves. They put an esteemed pulmonologist on TV to tell us that we are scared shitless and to literally laugh in our faces for which he apologized later on when probably told by the president to do so. I won`t be holding him in high regard from now on. 

Curiously enough, in 2009, a similar situation was handled differently by the then-government. Now, I know everything seems to be different from this perspective. However, the fact that I still have the masks from that time, the fact that I kept them speaks for itself. It means I don`t trust politicians. I am wondering now why such masks were not purchased and distributed nation-wide this time. Why the doctor laughed at the seriousness of the situation? The reason escapes me.

Now I am partly Molder and partly I am Scully. I know aliens do not exist. However, I think we have enough aliens in the form of politicians or serial killers. I try to take everything with the grain of salt and to be reserved about everything that comes to my attention. That`s Scully. I admit I was pissed off at my government for taking things lightly and for not responding sooner, I was also scared and concerned but, now I can see that there is a crazy logic in the undertow.

This whole thing reminded me of the bombing of Yugoslavia or rather what remained of it. A similar kind of panic was in the air. The only thing different is the fact that we knew what was to be targeted next, more or less, and the pretext was they were trying to get our then-president but dropped few bombs in the middle of the city, which is a story for another post. Now, we do not know who is going to be next. That is how panic is created. The enemy is totally invisible.

That`s also how fear is created and how you can easily manipulate the masses with fear. As days go by, and you establish some firmness of mind something else comes to your attention. National prime time TV news shows a photo with a series of coffins allegedly from Italy. Presumably, the coffins are full of dead bodies. Indeed, they are but what is curious is the fact that there are no crosses on the coffins, which would be only natural for a Catholic country. At least one cross would be seen, but actually, none is. It turns out that the picture was actually taken in 2013 showing crossless coffins because they were filled with bodies of people from some African country, allegedly. The same picture appeared on Greek and Serbian television. A friend from Greece sent me a photograph. What a strange coincidence.

So now this raised my eyebrow. I am still wondering how much of what has been said and reported on the virus is true and what has been just a fabrication. I don`t think that the virus is a hoax. It is real, but I think that the governments failed. Period. To what end? That`s for each one of us to decide.

Here is the photo in question.