PEOPLE

Never afraid to speak his mind, Tavira resident and long term friend of the East Algarve magazine, Jay Cee gives us his experiences to date in the continuing daily fight against the spread of the deadly Corona Virus.

MY VIRAL THOUGHTS

This is not the movie Contagion. This is not Fake News. The reality of a new Zootrophic VIRUS is amongst us. This is an irrefutable FACT must not be ignored, yet seems to be, by some, and indeed audaciously paraded by others. I for one am very grateful for having chosen to reside in Tavira, the Jewell of the Algarve. For I have a mountain view within my isolation walls. I have sunshine supplying me with a steady stream of VitaminD, and I inhabit a community of people, who, by my observation and estimation, have adhered to the current globally prescribed measures imposed by the Portuguese Government. They follow those rules, by staying home. For the most part, civility and socially conscious behavior has been the course of action taken by the majority of the citizens of my chosen town. Thank you, Tavira. Of course, there are the exceptions to the rule. Which I illustrate with this personal occurrence I had thrust upon me. I ask myself, why after handing out 30 pairs of gloves to consumers at Mini Preco, was I verbally bombarded with racist remarks, by a local man, “telling me to go back to my country”, shouting in front of people, who wore masks and gloves, “that I am the cause of the virus being in Portugal, that he doesn’t have the virus, only I do, that I don’t belong here” All because I asked him to wear gloves, that I was providing for him. Was this fear, stress, worry or just plain racist ignorance, that he felt was justified, by the times we are within? Not one other person offered any support in this exchange. They stood mute behind their protective masks. Finally, the manager accompanied him from the premises. Who are these people that act so differently in this Global scenario? Gordon Asmundson, a professor of psychology at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan has categorized peoples behavior by three groups, Over-responders, Under-responders and those who fall Somewhere in Between. I say we have four groups. The first group in this societal Pandemic are the health workers. These professionals are risking their lives as they fight for ours, They are faced with an untenable responsibility as they serve their community part of an ill-equipped infrastructure, within an ill-prepared industry. Their faces scraped, bruised, rubbed raw from wearing the same mask, for days on end. They are scarring themselves, in the line of duty, for us. Think about that the next time you have a sandal blister and you need to walk back from the beach. Now multiple that one hundredfold and it might give you an emotional sense memory understanding of what they are going through, over a 48-hour shift, with little sleep. I salute you all in normal times, today I bend the knee and bow my head. Bravo. They are followed closely in their heroic contributions by the Truck Drivers, the Grocery Workers, the Telecommunications people, the Tavira Verde men and women who are disinfecting our streets, the EDP power station operators that keep the lights on, the Ambulance drivers, the Corpo de Bombeiros, the bakers of bread, the butchers, the garbage workers that continue to take our refuse away late into the night. These people are on frontlines, 14/16 hours a day, sacrificing, facing possible mortality. These are the people who socially distance themselves from their very loved ones, so that the chain of supply flows, for us. They are the facilitators of our needs in these times, not the politicians, not the celebrities, not the influencers. For all of this that you give and do for us, I can only say thank you very much. I hold you all, in high regard. Stay healthy and know that you are honorable people who serve others. Now, WHY are the Over Responders, these “panic buyers” so afraid? Why do they think that hoarding toilet paper is an empowering action against a viral assault and why does it provide them, in their mindset, a sense of security inside this fear? When we all know, when all genuine, reasonable common sense points and proves, that it does not? What basic primal need is being triggered, that makes these individuals strikeout and bodily assault another human being? Please don’t simply read what I just asked. Please take the time to question these behaviors? Because those that engage in it, are not only blind to their actions but are oblivious to the understanding

of their reasons for engaging in those actions. It reminds me of this quote; “Forgive them for they know not what they do”. I say, not during a universal Health Pandemic. They must be held accountable. Yet how? I can defend against their physical assaults. Yet I cannot defend against their thought processes, their mindset unless I can understand why they feel and think this way? The man in Mini Preco had no interest in engaging within constructive dialogue, he simply wanted to vomit his opinion. WHY do the Under Responders believe they are invincible, immune to Covid19? Why are they not conscious of the chance, that if they are wrong, again, facts indicate that they are, that their decision to flaunt any measure of Social Distancing could and can, possibly infect more of their friend’s, family, co-workers, neighbors, the chain of supply workers they obtain their goods from, that they consume at the Corona party, by not staying home? Why if they do infect others, do we not take action to have this behavior stopped? Why do we only comment on these actions? Why are these individuals not held morally accountable? Why is it that they act as individuals, with possible consequences against society? I spend my time asking these questions. I want to understand. I want them to stop. I can tell you why I am in the “somewhat inbetween” group. It is very simple actually. It is based on the empathy I was taught by my Mother for my fellow citizens. It is me having a sense of responsibility to the community, as I am not a hermit living my days upon the plains of Jordan. I stay put when I would rather be sitting with my 81-year-old father in Toronto, yet I don’t. Why? Because I would never unsuspectingly carry an asymptomatic virus to his doorstep. How could I live with that possibility, never mind the reality of it happening? That is why I am on day 14 of self-quarantine. How do we bring the Over and Under Responders towards acting as a whole, for the good of the whole? That is something that I am interested in discussing. Why is it that America speaks of essentially

nothing more than “STIMULATING THE ECONOMY”. They say it quite openly, for all to hear? Yet no-one listens to what is being said with what is being said. They don’t say, “we need to stimulate compassion, assistance, fellowship, decency”, do they? This pandemic reveals very clearly that the system we take as a given is all but a precarious myth. It is a Matrix. This system is built on momentum. It operates on supply and demand. Once that momentum ceases, supply deteriorates and all hell breaks loose in that demand. The system requires our cash. It’s called LIQUIDITY. It seems, as Liza Minnelli sang in Cabaret, money does make the world go round. For myself, I find this to be not a stressful time, instead a very peaceful time, as I feel no sense of responsibility, other than to stay home, stay healthy, and not engage with others. All the pressures of what will I accomplish? Of why am I not progressing in my business requirements? Thoughts of should I be doing more with my time? Am I being lazy? Should I read another book or cut the lawn? Have I watched too much Netflix? Should I go or not go to the Gym? Why haven’t I visited this person? These questions and more, are no longer applicable, as I see it. This type of noise in my head has ceased transmitting. Why? Because there is no game in play, life, as we have been accustomed to, has ceased to be. We are in the midst of a new reality. In short, most of the judgments I have about myself, all those little nagging recriminations in regards to self, have ceased. My world has become quite small, by definition of the quarantine. I have been forced to accept the conditions that are presently activated and in this acceptance, comes a sense of gentleness. Gentleness with self. Nothing is expected of me, I expect nothing of myself, but to stay healthy and ride this storm out. I have also recognized who it is that I reach out and interact with and when in the pecking order, those individuals are contacted. The truth is I have no need, but to reach out to a few.

As a single man, I have the indulgence of doing this solitude of time, with no inbound intrusions or duties to another. I have no-one that needs me, right now in my direct environment. I don’t have to be mindful of another’s mood fluctuations or feelings. What kind of stress or pressures fall upon the families, relationships, at this time. I turn to my close friends and family, for digital companionship and reach out to my next-door neighbor Joaquin, by WhatsApp communication, if anything immediate is required. I share my fantastic pots of soup with him. He drops off Lemons and Oranges from his farm, at my doorstep. And in that exchange, we provide emotional support for each. We recognize that we are not alone in these days. We have each other if needed. This time has brought me to a very still feeling inside myself. Question is, can I hold on to it when the outcome of what we are dealing with shows itself and relinquishes its power over us. Again, we will see. In closing, I believe one’s character is not exhibited in times of comfort. One’s character is revealed in times of difficulty, hardship, turmoil. Ask yourself this. Look into the future and then look back at how you acted in these times. Are you proud of your behavior? Where you a Somewhat in Between, an Under or Over? Or are you a frontline Hero? Where you conscious in your actions? After all the debates and exchanges, we are left with accepting this simple fact, Mathematics is Mathematics and the rate of infection is exponential and ruthless. I leave you with this thought. Anne Frank spent 761 days in the Secret Annex. She put thoughts to paper. Ask what you will have done when we all exit our doorways and hug each other? We on the other hand, have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, all the Online content you could ever consume, virtual museum visits, you are able to take a stroll through London by way of street cam. So. PLEASE STAY HOME and get to know thy self.

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