Holy Sh*t - Notes on 2020, Vol. 15

Much to everyone’s surprise, the Cheeto declared acceptance of the Republican nomination the other week. In typical DJT fashion, he made sure to disparage his opponents, and leverage personal achievements to make a point to the effect of how no one is fit to do what he does.

And just what are these achievements that Biden could only aspire to attain? Somebody let me know some time. (But keep in mind that I’m not the head of a corporation, nor a Republican congressman.)

In other news, it would seem the American education system is in a more or less schizophrenic state of functionality. I know this is not new news; it has not been lost on me what teachers and students have been going through this year. With COVID still an affecting part of our lifestyle, all teachers and educational institutions have been making tough decisions pertaining to their students and curricula, and I just wanted to convey to you all that you have my sympathy. I don’t know how the hell you guys are doing it. You are our champions.

With that said, the school closings and electronic education substituting classroom instruction have made me reflect on my own experiences as a student, and with it my longing to have been a part of COVID-era learning.

I was not a popular person in my school days and didn’t have many friends. No matter the year, the grade, the teacher, every moment of school was a resignation to go through the motions and not much else. I never played any organized sports or subscribed to after-school clubs. Academics also weren’t that much of a priority and I applied myself moderately. I never wanted to stand out in any way, or be made the center of attention. If anything, I strived to blend in. Which may come as a laugh to some people reading this. But it is quite true.

So yes, online classes would’ve been great for me. No direct contact with anyone. I would’ve thrived. And please don’t get me wrong: I had something that resembled a social life, but it mostly constituted going to band practices in people’s basements.

A downside of this epiphany would be taking into consideration the technological capacities of the late nineties through the mid two-thousands. Would we have had the wherewithal twenty years ago to implement online classes for fifth graders like me? It’s hard to tell. On a technological and also political front. We had a Republican president in Bush Jr. Maybe he would’ve had the sense to instill precautionary action earlier than America 2020 did. (I’ll spare everyone the bad “hindsight is 2020” joke that’s undoubtedly in there.)

So we’re on the cusp of the fall of 2020. Well, I have to say that while our lives still feel super weird, with every passing week I find things getting more bearable. Or maybe it’s the human condition in which we naturally invent coping mechanisms to deal with life’s horse shit.

Whatever the case, we can’t be miserable every day. We can’t. It’ll tear us apart. I know I’ve spoken about mental health on here before, and I want to reiterate how important it is to find that activity to take your mind off of everything. To that point, I will say that watching movies and TV shows has its wall. Too much TV depresses a person. And you shouldn’t overdo it.

With that said, hope the beginning of September finds everyone gearing to stay home and distance and doing all the same things you were doing four months ago.

Cheers.