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Hey, it is Friday, we have another all-new Featured Friday Playlist which you can stream below and follow on Spotify. I have some words about this weeks list below.
In the show Stranger Things, there is the concept of the Upside Down. If you haven't seen the show (I highly recommend it), but basically think of the Upside Down as an alternate world where things are just wrong and off. (If you've seen the show, sorry for the grossly inadequate explanation). Lately, I feel as if we are all living in some sort of "Upside Down". Obviously, we are facing unprecedented challenges as a world, and we have seen people rise to the occasion in many ways to help their fellow man.
However, as I see it, the darker side of all this is the continued politicalization of everything. I guess this should not surprise me at a time when eating fried chicken or ordering pizza has become a political statement. But, it does surprise me. Here we have a virus that really doesn't care if you are a Democrat, Republican, Socialist, Libertarian, Communist, Whig, No Nothing, or an Anarchist. In a normal world, we would find a way to at least somewhat unite to face this threat, but here, again, my naivete is showing.
Here is my bottom line. I have friends who have lost parents and spouses to this virus. I have friends who right now have parents in the hospital. And, yes, I have a lot of friends who have been significantly impacted financially by the shutdown. I have been hesitant to say too much, because I am among the very lucky in that I have continued to work uninterrupted (albeit from home since mid-March). I want everyone to get back to work. I want to go see live music again and hang out with all my friends. But, I want to do so safely and responsibly so that people do not suffer and die needlessly. So, when I see people running around without masks and ignoring social distancing guidelines, I will say something. Not too "peer pressure" (although if that is what it takes I will do that), but because I know, these people are putting people at risk and they are putting the eventual recovery at risk.
I think about the protesters - carrying assult-style weapons - who are terrorizing citizens and government leaders. I think about how these same people criticized football players for kneeling. I think about how these people do not protest when an unarmed black man is shot by the police or by so-called vigilantes. How these same people think government should tell a woman what she can or cannot do with her own body. How these same people, care little about the rights of the LGBTQ+ in the face of government sanctioned discrimination.
People in public without masks are extending this crisis and putting innocent people at risk. We have a huge hole in the soul of our government. I think about past leaders of both parties who would have and who are leading better than the current occupant of the White House. I think about the lack of compassion and concern which filters down from the highest levels of power to the dregs of our society. And, it saddens and worries me. But, I also think about the men and women who are ignoring and rejecting this soullessness to find creative ways to help others and each other.
I believe we will get out of the Upside Down world, but I also believe we will be changed by the experience, and I believe to a great extent it is up to us to decide how we are going to be changed.
Featured Friday Playlist
