I have been watching as people swing from one thing to another. Since 2000, there has been a series of disasters that have modified people’s opinions and actions. In 2000, Presidents Bush and Clinton began raising money for the disaster in the Indian ocean (the Tsunami). They raised millions of dollars for the American Red Cross. People still had disposable income. Then in 2001, the US was attacked on 9/11. President Bush landed in Shreveport at Barksdale AFB to begin to direct the US government from there. Churches began to fill up as people saw the uncertainty of their lives. As President Bush stepped up and took control of the situation, the churches began to empty. Then came the 10 years of fires in California and other states. This disrupted our food supply and prices began to rise. Then came Hurricane Katrina and the shutting down of New Orleans and the port. It cost billions of dollars. Most of all the grain in America is shipped through the port of New Orleans. Then Hurricanes Ike and Gustav that hit Texas and severely damaged the Oil industry. Which meant the further lost of money and rising food cost. Then there were tornadoes in the middle western states. Let us not forget the recession of 2008, when major industry in the US began to collapse. Also, lets us not forget the on going droughts in the western states and the bird flu, which the US government had to kill millions of chickens. Food prices went up and up.
There has been a major disaster every year in the US since 2000. Which further reduced our disposable income. Then in 2020, Covid-19 hit our country. Our health system was blind sided. They were not prepared for a world wide pandemic. Our government overreacted to the problem. It was like watching chickens with their heads cut off. It was total chaos. They didn’t get their act together until the pandemic was almost over. Hundreds of thousands people died during the pandemic. Businesses shut down and everyone was quarantined at home. I don’t know the exact of amount of money that was lost from 2020 until the end of Covid-19. But it is certain that billions, if not trillions of dollars were lost. During this time, people became disconnected from one another, the community, the state and our national government. What it produced is depression and anger. Now days you can go online and find a psychologist to help solve any problem you have. Yet people are still disconnected.
We are social beings and need social interaction to maintain good mental health. If we separate ourselves from all other humans, our behavior becomes abnormal. It is because of our disconnection to other people. I know that we can’t get alone with everyone. But we can try conform to the social norms. This will help our feelings of disconnection and help to correct mental health issues. I am not saying that you have to conform to all the social morays. I have been living for 75 year on this earth and do not conform to all the social morays. But I like to talk to people, to see who they are. I like to do things for people to help in some small way. It makes me feel good about myself, that I am not social, pardon the expression, moron. I am not a social butterfly nor am I so introverted I don’t speak to anyone. The joy in my life is seeing people smile and to feel joy. This is where we become connected to each other and can feel good about ourselves.
Crain Blanchard.
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