Climbing Out

Recently I have found myself stuck in a social media hole. It has been rather disheartening and it has been a real struggle for me to regain control of the rational side of my brain.

I have been searching for a purpose but I was looking in the wrong places. Do I think I have found one now? No, not really, but I have learnt that I am capable of coming to my own conclusions when provided with all of the facts.

I am not an “educated” person. I have never claimed to be but does that mean that I am not intelligent? Does that mean I am incapable of logical thought? In some circles the answer would be yes. However, as with many issues I am willing to listen.

According to what I have seen on social media there are a lot of people of my generation and younger generations who seem to hold the belief that we need a higher power to direct us on how to lead our lives. The higher power of choice seems to be the government. I worry that the faith that we have placed in our government is misplaced.

At the beginning of the pandemic we all willingly followed the rules and guidance that was put in place. It was and remains to be a scary virus but I wonder, given the current case numbers, whether we still need to be living in the same state of fear.

We are still told on a daily basis what the case numbers are, thankfully the daily death toll seems to have been dropped. I wonder why? Is it because the number of people dying with the virus has reduced. Yet the debate regarding restrictions, vaccine rollouts and now potential vaccine passports being introduced is fever pitch.

Personally, I think the rise in tensions in all areas of society is due to fear. Interestingly while everyone is terrified about this virus they are not asking questions or looking at other matters which could have a significant impact on our lives. We are being prevented from seeing the “big picture” as it were.

For example, what impact has the handling of the pandemic had on other areas of our wellbeing? I know that my mental health has taken a bit of a battering since this started. Increased stress levels and anxiety about seeing friends and family. The ever present question of “what if” lingering in my mind. I spent a lot of time clinging to the hope of attaining the carrot dangled to us all of normality returning “soon” every step of the way.

So overall what has the impact been in our mental health. What does the data regarding suicide show us? I think it is a valid question. Pro-longed isolation inevitably makes it harder to climb out of the darkness. The mainstream media and government are very keen to refer to the data regarding the virus but all the data available that I have seen regarding suicide rates in the UK is from 2019.

Another valid question would be how many people have died from other diseases as a result of a delay in treatment because of the pandemic. In order to be able to have a fully informed opinion you need to have details of all deaths so that we can all have a sense of perspective but, you won’t see any of the information on the news.

It has been a struggle but there are many issues which are unrelated to the pandemic which are largely ignored. A lot of people are trusting that the prime minister who, in my uneducated opinion is akin to the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, is doing all he can for the good of the people. I, on the other hand, question his motivations. We are told the cases are increasing again so why has he proceeded with stage 4? There is widespread speculation that we will be in lockdown again by the end of the year if the trend continues so why has this gone ahead.

It must be a coincidence that restrictions were lifted shortly before parliament went in to recess, right? Strange that we were in a very similar position this time last year with various incentives to encourage us to support the hospitality industry and to enjoy a nice staycation. Last year as soon as parliament was back in session lockdowns began to be reintroduced in varying degrees across the nation. I mean, who am I in my uneducated state to suggest that the people in charge change the rules as and when they may present an inconvenience or hinderance to their holiday plans and daily lives.

There is a public inquiry being held at the moment regarding the contaminated blood scandal which seems to be getting little to no coverage. I wonder why? Could it be because if we, the people, were following it we may begin to question the intentions of the various departments who decide what is in the best interest of the public. If we were aware then maybe we would be less likely to blindly follow and agree to all of the proposals made.

There are so many issues that are being discussed at the moment. Some are incredibly serious, some are being blown out of proportion but no one is questioning why. What are these debates being used to distract us from.

In a bid to climb out of the hole, I found myself beginning to think about the motivations behind these stories. What is there to be gained by hyping people up to fever pitch, other than to distract us from what may be happening behind the scenes. They are all important and need to be addressed but as I have said before the art of debate seems to be dead in the water. It is an us and them mentality with no middle ground to be reached.

What does that achieve other than further isolation which, in the long term will not benefit anyone. We need to lead by example for the children who will follow us. My aim has always been to show my children that fear is no reason to not go after your dream. I want to show them how to use the tools available to inform their thinking so that they can engage their brains, raise their points, discuss them logically and, as a result, reach their own conclusions. It seems that this is a skill which cabin fever appears to have wiped out.

There are so many issues in my consciousness that I want to write about. As I have already stated, I have been stuck in a hole which I am climbing out of slowly. It’s been a strange time but with the help of the right playlist, I find myself clinging to the edge, reenergising myself for the final push to pull myself back in to solid ground once more and share my uneducated views once more. Consider this your warning.