There is a story about a teacher who took a live fish out of its bowl of water, and then left it on the desk. The teacher told the children they would be expelled if anyone left their seat. Then he left the room. The poor fish gasped and twisted with a classroom of children watching, as it flopped around…All of the children sat and watched as the fish struggled, gasping for life, wanting to be back in the water. All the children sat in horror at what they saw, not wanting to get up to avoid getting in trouble. Finally, a girl sprang up from her seat, ran to the fish, and placed it back in the bowl. Ultimately, she was the only one who refused to watch the fish die.
When the teacher returned to the classroom, he told his class that this was a lesson. He told them that the fear of getting in trouble should never stop you from doing what is right. He said that sometimes you may have to oppose authority and “groupthink” simply because it’s the right thing to do.

I think of this often.

Do you understand what has happened in the last four years? Have you followed what has happened since? Whatever freedoms we had left have almost all been eliminated since the entire world seemed to lose its mind over a virus. “Give me liberty or give me death!” applies to viruses as well as the American Revolution.

The horrible way people treated those of us who did not comply is an example. They told us they hoped we would die. They told us they hoped our families would die with us. These vaccine fanatics swore at us and called us “Nazis” for not complying with arbitrary rules about a disease that really was not too serious, even for the elderly, if treated early. Of course, the early treatment was withheld. In fact, it was vilified.

People reported on their neighbors. People reported others to the authorities for having too many cars parked in their driveway. What were they thinking? But we know, don’t we? They were scared of dying from a mysterious illness that the news told them might kill them, even though it had a 98% chance of NOT killing them. Families were split over the fear. And over the directives that people often impose on themselves.

At a relative’s funeral, people wore masks in church, which disgusted me. When we arrived back at the house, those who had had a shot of the vaccine were allowed inside the house. We who had not were directed to go through a garden gate to the terrace by the pool. I was not allowed in the house. He was dead, and no one could infect him with anything. But I and the others who were unvaccinated, were considered “unclean.” It was funny then, but in retrospect, there is nothing funny about it. That was a case where the fish would have died, gasping for breath, I guess.

Later, I went to a huge funeral held at the National Cathedral. Everyone there was wearing a mask except me. Later, I learned there was some sort of edict about wearing a mask in church in Washington, DC. I did not know about it beforehand, but I would not have worn a mask if I had known. By then, I was so aware of the trick the U.S. government played on all of us that I had no patience with it.

The number of people who went along with the fear far outstrips the few who would not comply. And to this day, many people simply will not look at the numbers of deaths from the vaccine. People talk about “long covid”, but will NOT look at “all causes” of mortality. They will not see how the U.S. mortality rate jumped only after the vaccine rollout. It did not rise when the virus was first let loose upon us.

What really gets me riled up are the stories about people who allowed a nursing home or a hospital to keep them from seeing their aging relatives. Allowing someone’s mother to die alone is unconscionable. Sometimes, the hospitals or homes let families in at the very end. But, for weeks or months, these elderly sick people spent day after day alone. Looking back, it is a wonder people did not storm the hospitals. But, if they had tried, I suppose the administration would have called the police, and it might have become ugly. This treatment is wrong.

There was a video out on the Internet showing a funeral with mourners spaced 6ft apart. At some point the grown son of the recent widow moved his chair close to her for comfort. Moments later an “Official” of the funeral home came over to the man and told him he must move away, and keep the distance between him and his grieving mother. Seriously! The cruelty and ignorance associated with the actions of fearful people astounds me. The glee with which they wielded their little bit of power, disgusted me. But this is exactly what happened in Nazi Germany, or Mao’s China where people informed on each other. They closed their hearts. They appear to have lost their humanity.

Goldfish were flopping all over the place. People lost their businesses because they were shut down. People lost their houses because they could not pay the mortgage. Battered wives were locked in small apartments with their abusers because of the government mandates. Sometimes, these women were not only protecting themselves but also their small children. Children lost two years of schooling at a time when schools are barely teaching them to read in the first place. Babies lost the innate ability to recognize facial expressions. Seeing people only in masks was detrimental to their early development. We won’t know for years how much damage was done. But we do know it was lethal to many. Suicide was way up.

Finding a positive note on which to end this blog post is hard. The future is not bleak; it is exciting. But there are going to be some unpleasant times ahead for us. The world is careening towards war, and that war may be devastating. If I do not survive it, I hope some of my descendants may remember my spirit and desire to question authority and think outside the box.

It has always been a mystery to me why people will vote a straight ticket politically. How do they justify “blanket support” for a school, a sports team, or even their family? There are many different agendas and too much variety in prevailing views. No one should only follow one set path. Think. Think for yourself. You can be pro-choice and still be conservative. If you are a Liberal, you can still be a member of the NRA and own all sorts of guns.

Certain subjects cause people to become apoplectic with rage if someone has an opposing view. Perhaps we all need to mind our own business. Differences are wide. But this is life. Wonderful, confusing, inclusive, and exclusive life; Live it!

Live every day as if it will be your last. Be grateful and be happy.

Copyright©. 2024 Bonnie B. Matheson