Battling the Side Effects of Weaponized Hypochondria?

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eric
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A reader brings up a question on many people’s minds which I think is worth a long answer. Chris asks:  

You’ve mentioned on several occasions (along with your readers) about the mental and physical effects of weaponized hypochondria — sleep problems, high blood pressure, etc.  I also feel this — I don’t watch any TV news; I just scan the headlines of my local paper online and Yahoo News a couple times a week, just to get a feel for the “mood of the day”.  Still, I can’t seem to escape it — face diapers on people everywhere, TV shows that promote WuFlu/face diaper/vaccine propaganda either in the show itself or the ads, the way “The Pandemic” has to be seemingly worked into every conversation about any topic, the constant fearmongering and guilt-tripping . . . it makes me not  want to go anywhere or do anything anymore.

Do you have any good “coping strategies” to avoid these effects, especially since your writing and work require you to keep up with what the MSM news is saying? I just feel that while depression and apathy are never good, now is especially a time when we need our wits about us. Any suggestions?

. . .

Orwell addressed this issue in the novel, 1984. Winston Smith, the heretic against the orthodoxies of the Party, questioned his own sanity at times. Could he really be right and everyone else – so it appeared – wrong? He answered this by hanging on to objective reality (2+2=4) and by reminding himself that “sanity is not statistical.”

We are very much in the same position as Winston. Crazy – and fanatical – people surround us. Insane – evil – policies (and people) lord over us. As you say, even when you aren’t being actively harassed, as when shopping without the vestments of the Party (i.e., the Face Diaper) it is nonetheless very depressing to see so many others wearing them. It makes you want to stay home, so as not to see it and not have to deal with it at all.

And of course, that is depressing. The diminution of normal life; the circle getting smaller. The looming dread of what’s next?

This is making us – the sane – sick. First psychologically, in the form of depression. And then, inevitably, physically – as stress ongoing and the loss of interest that attends will manifest physical effects such as those you mention.

Which is why I tell myself, first of all – do not let the bastards get you down!  This is what they want. For us to decouple from life, to atomize. To give in – or give up. Which gets me mad – and anger can be useful.

I’ve been working out more – and harder – than I ever have in my life. I’ve put on about 20 pounds of muscle over the past year and this has been useful as well – in terms of standing down the Freaks. They are mostly – almost entirely – physical cowards who are reluctant to accost a large man. Especially a large man radiating leave me alone.

I have found this extremely therapeutic.

Also, just the act of going to my gym, which is an oasis of sanity amid this sea of sickness psychosis. It does not push Diapering and so there are very few active Daiperers. Most of the people there are normal and it is very healthy to be among – just to see – normal people and so I try to do so almost every day.

This applies generally. Whether it’s a gym or a cafe or any other place you can go where there are more normal than abnormal people – go there, often. For yourself and for them. It has a synergistic effect. They see you – and you see them. And you both see that no one is “dying” – a tonic in the face of all the fear-peddling and gas-lighting. We know, intellectually, that the hysteria about “the virus” is just that. But it is sometimes good to see that it is – the sight of people not only behaving normally but not “dying” on account of it.

I think all of us are susceptible to questioning ourselves at times – as Winston Smith did. To know that 2+2=4 and not 5.

Some people, of course, are unable to go to the gym – or don’t want to, because of Face Diapering being the condition of entry. In that case, go for a run or a walk outdoors. Running is excellent medicine – psychologically as well as physically. It compounds, too. Being fit improves your physical health and being outside and doing something improves your mental health.

I run and lift. So far, it has helped me maintain my sanity.

Both are acts of productivity – of action toward a goal. This is the fundamental antidote to sickness psychosis, which is at core all about negating living for the putative sake of “saving lives.”

I also have been busy with various projects around the house – more acts of productivity. All of us have things of that nature that need to get done and this is a great time to get them done. Make progress being the point. See things improving – whether your waistline or your yard.

So long as something is getting done.

This includes making plans and provisions for the future – for what may well be coming. We still have a great deal of  freedom of action. It is important – and healthy – to use it. Think about how to best assure your family’s future and take concrete steps toward that end.

As Arnold once said – Do it! Do it now! 

I also find reading to be very restorative.I always have. But especially now. Especially as regard reading books by writers who’ve dealt with far worse than we’re dealing with, such as Solzhentisyn. But also Leonard Read and Paine and just good writers, like Gore Vidal and Ken Kesey and Vonnegut (to name a few of my favorites).

Also – and this one has admittedly been hard for me – make the effort to see and spend time with like-minded friends and family. Make the effort to make new friends to replace the ones lost due to their loss of their minds.

The bottom line is to not let them win.

We’re better – and stronger – than that. Yes, there are more of them than us. When has that ever not been the case? History – for good and bad – is always made by a minority of committed people who refuse to give in.

Let’s do that. And make some history!

. . . 

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Related posts:
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  2. How We Beat Weaponized Hypochondria
  3. Battling the Gesundheitsfuhrers
  4. Battling Ghetto Trash
  5. Reader Question: Effects of Short Distance Driving?

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55 COMMENTS

  1. YouTube comes to kill Rebel News

    Extortion, nothing more.

    //www.rebelnews.com/ezra_levant_show_march_23_2021

    //www.rebelnews.com/youtube_has_finally_come_to_kill_rebel_news_but_ive_got_a_plan_to_survive

  3. Love me some Vonnegut. Shared my paperback copy of Welcome to the Monkey House with my mom last year, she doesn’t always read what I throw her way but it made me happy when she said she’d already finished it. The dystopian parallels would be astounding if these authors weren’t already clearly aware of what was ahead. Apparently Vonneguts brother worked in weather modification..

  4. I’ll pile on with my own coping strategy. First, find as many places as you can where you can avoid wearing the diaper. I’m not sure what state/city you’re in, it could be quite difficult in, say, Kalifornia. Here in Lexington, KY, I have found several gas stations and tobacco shops where they don’t enforce the muzzle, so I feel more comfortable walking around without one. There are other places where I can pay outside (a couple of gas stations), and drive-thru windows. However, there are plenty of Biden voters, er, WuFlu “true believers”, around here that it’s hard to find solidarity in a store. I just took my 89-year-old mom to CVS and Wally-world. There was one naked face in CVS (and I just had to stop and talk to her, thanking her for being a rebel), none in Wally-world. Sigh.

    Another thing, and Eric mentioned this – do stuff outside. Walk, run, go for a hike, whatever. Odds are, even in the worst states, that you can go outside and not have to muzzle up. Especially in the wilderness.

    Of course, there’s always avoiding people altogether, but that won’t work for probably a majority. I’m naturally an introvert, so I don’t care if I spend all day away from others (not necessarily cooped up at home, either), but that may not work for others.

    One more thing that I started doing recently is to look for groups of freedom-minded inviduals and hang out with them. There is a movement, if I can call it that, called Make Americans Free Again, started by a lady in Ohio, with the goal of suing the states over the so-called emergency that isn’t. Lawsuits filed in 3 states so far, with more coming. She suggested that people meet on Thursday nights, so we have some groups here in KY (including right outside Lexington) that meet every Thursday. It’s *wonderful* to walk into a room full of naked faces. Makes my whole week.

    Hang in there, we’ll get through this together (oh, God, I hate that phrase!).

    • Oh, I do want to add one more coping strategy. Turn off the TV, stop reading fear and outrage porn articles for a while, and just take a break from it. Quit social media too, or at least take a hiatus. We take vacations from work, don’t we? We should take vacations from the media.

      Last year, after I quit my job due to covid bullshit nonsense, I watched a ton of videos and read a shitload of articles on the covid scam. And my mom and I watched the governor’s (and Trump’s) updates on the scam virus. After a while, I became so outraged that I couldn’t see straight. I made it a point to quit Farcebook (my youngest daughter quit it a few years ago and consequently wasn’t posting pictures of my grandkids anyway), and to take the odd few days or a week off from reading and watching videos related to covid. It was very refreshing. I’m at a point now where I’m focused more on solutions rather than problems. Sure, I still read or watch stuff about the problems, but right now I’m concentrating on learning ham radio (got my license in December), learning how to grow my own food and finding local sources of food (I suspect that will be very important going forward). Basically, what can I do to help myself and my family, not how much outrage I can generate within myself that won’t get me anywhere.

      I’ve resigned myself to the idea that I’ll likely never fly on an airplane again or attend a concert or sporting event (including running a 5K, which I’d miss). No matter. I can live just fine without those. It’s time to change some of the ways I spend my time and goals that I set for myself.

  5. The coven of witches in HR have been sending out a pandemic update email every day for the past year. So I set up an email filter that permanently deletes anything with certain keywords in the subject line. Problem solved.

  7. I too had a moment of such depression when I went to get my kid from school today. The school now requires parents to wear masks when picking up – even though all the pickup is outdoors. I was a bit free so went early today (thought id be on time for once to get her). Before the gates opened there was a long que of people (the brits love a good que) – all with masks on…. as the gate opened, grown men and woman all marched forward in an orderly fashion, all with visible proof of their adherence to the new faith…. I could think of few things more depressing to sum up what the western world has become.

    I was only cheered up after I got back to the car, started the engine, heard the rumble, Metallica came on at the appropriate volume…. which brings me to my solution to dealing with a combination of the crap British winter, endless lockdown, and (perhaps midlife crisis)… I went and got a Mustang GT, with a manual 😀 I tell you it does wonders to cheer you up any time….. especially given roads are emptier now than ever…

      • Hi Moose,

        I play Media Bear hitting the Panera or Chick Fil A drive thru – usually We Will Mock You or I Wear My Face Mask in My Car. 🙂 I am embarrassed to admit this, but both of my children know all the words to Karen and Sam.

        • Hehehe, I can only imagine how others overhearing it are probably enjoying it non-ironically. Wish they were all quick enough to be offended by obvious satire, it could open up a real discussion for once, but even then they’re usually still too slow to figure out why they’re upset by it.

          The level of freakishness they’ve achieved is astounding though. I mean I know I still cringe when other folks use those automatic hand dryers in restrooms (cuz of all those poop particles gone airborne mentioned in studies 🤮) and for the last decade I’d always kept a bottle of hand sanitizer at my desk at the office and in my car… but I haven’t been back to any office environment in several months, even then my sanitizer use was more about knowing how many people out there touchin stuff weren’t washin their damn hands after takin a shit. I swab my stupid smartphone with rubbing alcohol after going out, but I only started that a couple years back cuz of those awful ear pimples I would get. And now that I’ve had enough time and distance to reassess my beliefs, I hardly use the stuff at all unless I can actually see the dirt on my hands or know that I was touching something pretty gnarly outside right before hitting the road.

          Don’t get me wrong I still follow basic hygiene and handle raw food properly, etc, but in terms of that baseline germaphobia, I have regressed to my formerly carefree, childish state 😎 Which is simultaneously empowering and alienating.. Makes it so hard to relate to whatever the hell everyone else’s deal is now, they’ve just let themselves become freaks.

  9. Hi Chris,

    Everyone has made some really good suggestions and I may end up repeating some of them, but here’s how I cope through the Plandemic:

    1. BAC is right. Get outside. Fresh air and sunshine can do wonders for your mood. I keep to places where there won’t be a lot of people – battlefields and forts, rarely traveled hiking trails, parks, etc. Watching nature in action (wildlife, waterfalls, mountains) reminds you that a section of the world is still sane.

    2. Eat healthy. What we feed our bod does affect our attitude and our energy levels.

    3. Surround yourself with like minded people. Okay, maybe your favorite restaurant is out since they have gone full Gestapo, but invite friends over and order some BBQ or a bushel of crabs and sit on the back patio and reminisce. There is something relaxing about encircling yourself with people with similar thoughts.

    4. Hang out and support businesses who see through the BS. I have three or four go to restaurants and a few stores that have not given me a hard time, even once, over the last year. Yes, my options are limited when it comes to shopping, but it makes me happy when I support another rebel.

    5. Treat the world as a scientific experiment. Don’t view the world as a bunch of deranged and terrified mask wearers, but as a project. When out in public I am constantly watching how these people interact, what they say, how they walk. These are no longer people, but lab mice to me. I treat them as such.

    6. Turn off the TV and put on the radio. I continuously have music playing – while I am working, cleaning, cooking, etc. Sometimes it is relaxing (Sinatra, George Jones, a little Kenny Chesney), other times I have Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” on surround sound…..whatever works for you. Music makes people happy.

    7. When I feel like watching TV I watch reruns of shows and movies that I enjoyed before the woke culture destroyed them all.

    8. Lot of sex (preferably with someone you like, but that isn’t required). It is good for building immunity, lowers blood pressure and the risk of a heart attack, an excellent destresser, and you can roll over and take a nap afterwards. Win-win.

    • Some good suggestions. What I find most distressing is the fear that I could (and have been) accosted and berated by a total stranger at any time for not wearing a mask. Maybe even arrested. That wears on you after a while.

      I am introverted enough that if I am only one of 1000 people without a mask, it wouldn’t bother me one bit if the other 999 left me the hell alone. I have managed to confine my travels to places that seem to turn a blind eye to masklessness, but that is no guarantee that there won’t be a problem.

      I do follow the news religiously, so the accompanying craziness in addition to the virus mania — the debt, the election, the trannyism, the fake Russia collusion hoax, the militarized police going after the people involved in the Capitol fracas — is all part and parcel of the insanity.

      Rifles, motorcycles, animals and outdoorsmanship seem to help the most.

      • Hi X,

        I don’t pay attention to the everyday news – how many COVID cases, vaccine distribution, Congress, etc., but I do pay a lot of attention to finances – the Stock Market, the global economy, inflation and debt, tax law. It is part of my business so I am constantly reading publications. The pending debt crisis probably terrifies me more than any vaccine. Most of us can outrun a vaccine (or those that want to mandate it). We cannot outrun inflation.

        All any of us can do is try to live the fullest life we can and ignore the white noise around us. This is easier said than done, no doubt. I believe things are starting to loosen up (albeit slowly). If I need to escape I turn on the Local News app and put it on Fort Lauderdale. Ten of thousands of college kids on Spring Break can’t be wrong. 🙂 If nothing else, it is nice watching a bunch of people walking down a Boardwalk, sitting at a restaurant, and chatting knowing that life is semi normal 1000 miles away.

    • American and to a lesser extent Australian country music sounds like pop. Ireland has some great country music artists, like the Pogues, and Mary Duff . Go to YT and type in Irish country music. A huge breath of fresh air. Also recommend a trio of sisters called Pussycat, from the 70s through to the 90s.

      • Hi to5,

        Thanks. I am going to check out your suggestions later this evening. I am always on the lookout for good music. My tastes run all over the place. Today’s country music is not my cup of tea. If I listen to country it is Merle, Waylon, George, and Johnny, Dolly, and Loretta. I do like Travis Tritt and Kenny Chesney, but most of the current stuff I could do without.

        • Morning, RG!

          I suppose I am getting viejo but – I agree – much of today’s “mainstream” music works on me like fingernails on a chalkboard. While I know there are some talented musicians out there – all genres – what’s played on the radio seems to almost always be either brutal, atonal barking sounds or oily, synthetic (and same-sounding) electronic noise, with a “singer” who is more like a squealer. It is not my thing.

          There was a golden age of music – popular music – that lasted from the ’60s to the ’90s, now receding to a backwater. Us Gen X people were the last people to have been born in time to experience it.

          I saw Van Halen – with Dave – live, when I was a kid back in the ’80s. No sail fawns. Cigarette lighters!

          • Hi Eric,

            I saw Van Halen in the 1990s….with Sammy and not David, but still a great concert. 🙂

            There is a band called Dirty Honey that started in 2017 that is very reminiscent of the 70s. The lead singer is a cross between Plant and Tyler. I really like their song “Rolling 7s” but all of their songs are pretty good. Also, Black Coffee, now called South of Eden, and their song “I Barely Know Her” is pretty good as well.

    • Hi RG,

      I’ve also found that a good laugh helps sometimes…I remember when Eric wrote about restaurants requiring face diapers to walk to the table, being like wearing a condom for the first three thrusts or so then taking it off, I was I wasn’t eating or drinking when I read that, because I laughed harder than I have in quite a long time (because that’s *exactly* how stupid these people are!). Also one of the commenters on here mentioned how “masking up” makes it looks like a dick sticking out of their face — now I can’t un-see that…..LOL. So I do get a bit of a chuckle out of things like that. 🙂

      • Hi Chris,

        Yes, you definitely have to have the ability to laugh at this whole debacle. My favorite are the double maskers (if you are lucky some will even wear a face shield to complete the look). 🙂

        The kids and I also have updated our car driving games. Usually, we would look for different license plates or play the alphabet game, now it is how many mask wearers can be we count driving in their car.

  10. Eric,

    Great article and suggestions. I fit in the gym-still-diapers category, but do go on refreshing runs, and the carpenter-special bench press I built during the first gym closure has done me justice.

    Also, I received and began the book you suggested, Vonnegut’s “Mother Night”. Of course, it’s one of 3 books I’m reading right now, but I’ll finish eventually. 😉

    Lastly, I’ll throw this in here: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210314/Cannabis-compound-inhibits-SARS-CoV-2-replication-in-human-lung-cells.aspx

    I know CBD is over-hyped for everything, but it would be humorous if it were actually a potent therapeutic for COVID. There are many people who swear by CBD for all manner of ailments, but it’s particularly a darling of the “left”, and thus, this could short circuit everything the fear-mongers are doing.

    • David Knight was talking about that today! A recent study showed that CBD helps clear the lungs of a COVID patient. Go to thedavidknightshow.com to see where, when, and how to watch his show, or video replays of the show.

      • Hahaha, strangely enough, I’m actually listening to David Knight right now (Bitchute)! No mention of CBD yet, but that’s awesome.

        Anyway, I read the paper when I have time. I sure hope it holds some merit!

        At the same time, it appears Biden is firing people for their former pot use? Yeah, go for it, Grandpa Scratch-n-Sniff. Piss off your base.

  11. Went to Denver Wednesday night. Forgot that the front range is still under “Yellow” restrictions while much of the rest of the state has moved to blue (whatever that means). The front desk clerk at the hotel was nice enough but not at all friendly. The workers at the stores I had to visit were the same way. I went to the Indian restaurant that normally has the lunch buffet. I get there, no buffet. Also no customers. Last time I was there in late 2019 the lunch crowd was huge. I started to leave, but the waiter (could be owner) pointed out that they have a sampler on the menu. How could I say no? Good meal, but really sad.

    The strange thing though was the general population. No one made eye contact with me. Everyone did this strange dance when getting “too close” to another person, kind of like those moments where two people traveling in opposite directions go the wrong way, except from all directions. Speech being difficult through a mask meant no small talk. People wearing masks in automobiles.

    Colorado used to be called a “purple state” because party politics weren’t much of a factor in elections. As Denver and the front range growth has outpaced the rest of the state, the politics have become decidedly Democrat. Except for the 2/3rds of the state that isn’t the I-25 corridor. Interesting to note that Lauren Boebert’s district is almost all in the “blue” COIVID map, so maybe the Democratic Party is a major spreader of COVID-19. Probably about as valid a thesis as wearing a stupid mask.

  12. Funny thing: I watch NO tee-vee and visit NO mainstream media sites…but yet their tactics are so predictable I know exactly what a modern show or commercial must look like! The tyranny and ubiquitousness of and acceptance of absurd ideas would never be possible if it were not for agenda-driven media. Hollywood is more dangerous than DC.

    I really don’t see any difference though between now and the recent pre-Corona-ed past. It’s the same people, doing the same things….only now they wear a visible sign of their servitude and sheepishness, right on their faces, so that what we suspect about the average person we encounter, is now visually confirmed so that there is no doubt as to who and what we are dealing with. This is actually freeing.

    For those who may only lately be waking up, you are getting a head start, a crash course, -as you can now quickly come to the realization that the vast majority around us are easily controlled and complicit- and that we who stop consuming the Kool-aid are a tiny scattered minority of independents who are far outside the bounds of what has become a totally artificial society around us, just as much as if we lived in North Korea- only more so, because those around us falsely believe that they are free. It no longer takes years or decades to come to this realization, because what those around us do and believe are so blatantly absurd no thinking person would practice such- and the face diapers are merely an outward sign of acceptance of those things, or at least of the toleration of them (That the wearer, even if personally opposed, will still do and act the way he is expected to in order to be accepted by those around him)- just like the wearing of a swastika was in Nazi Germany: Whether you truly believed in Naziism or not, you conformed to it- and ultimately there isn’t much difference between those who truly believe, and those who would feign it just to get along- in fact, I think the latter are worse, because they are knowingly letting their own autonomy be overruled without the least resistance, even when the cost of resistance is negligible. This is what those swastikas-for-the-face are declaring about those who don them. A visible enemy is better than an unidentified one.

  13. For me it was the realization that I was much more resilient and defiant than I realized. Also, that I was able to influence others by my actions. I learned how to grocery shop properly and cook more. I learned how to stand up for my rights and to fight for what I want, particularly in the workplace. Part of the fight required sacrificing something that I loved but in retrospect it was worth it. My close friend told me that he was bummed that I was no longer engaging in a shared hobby due to mask requirements but that he “admired the hell out of me for doing it.” I’ve learned that while it’s difficult to talk to people about the hazards of vaccines it can be done if you use tact and patience. So, yeah it’s been rough but the rough times often make us stronger and better.

  14. I find being outdoors is the best medicine. Sunlight is always a good disinfectant, and chases away many a roach. Few things better than the quietude of little trekked deep forest trails, where noisy families, Karen-types, and cranky self—righteous asswipes fear to tread. Silence, self-reflection, meditation, and participation in and appreciation of God’s creation. I’ll take a busy squirrel, a deer, an isolated brook, spiders spinning a web, shady pines, or a picturesque lonely waterfall any day, over spending time within kicking distance of most any virus-addled, face diapered, vaccinated Americunts.

  15. The brainwashing seeps into everything, convid is just the latest layer on the cake. Try watching any science documentary where RISING SEA LEVELS DUE TO HUMAN CAUSED CLIMATEWARMINGCATASTROPHY is mentioned no matter how unrelated. How about dykes and fags in every fucking show? Even in shows like mad men and man in the high castle that are set in a time where degenerates would get pummeled or worse but the homosterilizing agenda is laid on thick regardless. Theres even subtle shit like a scene in longmire, based in wyoming, where the sheriff notices a lowly commoner is packing heat and she clarifies “its registered” as if the people of wide open wyoming need permission like some comrade from new jersey. Or even subtler shit like front license plates on florida vehicles in dexter. Can’t have the northerners thinking about their double ear tags.
    Best way to stay sane with universal propaganda is to not consume their media diarrhea. If you do, be a cynic and call it out loud. Reading news and info is a better filter than tv or radio if you must keep up with the current goins on.

  16. Another one, get a puppy.
    They are a real p.i.t.a. for sure, however; the trade-off seems worth it. They are fantastic exercise machines: they’ll get you up and moving – and bending over – and outside in rain snow or sleet, when you don’t feel like it. The Dog Whisperer fella says to get out for at least an hour per day and walk.
    Both, the dog and the walk, will likely lift your spirits.

    You’ll meet people via a dog more-so than you would otherwise.
    If you’ve never owned a dog before you might be very surprised at how many people seemingly appear out of the woodwork and approach you or have reason to strike up a positive conversation where the opportunity to do so wasn’t there before. And, if I’d a known how much of a chick-magnet puppies were, I would’ve gotten several over the years when I was younger. I imagine it works in reverse, too.
    Also, I think puppies especially, but dogs in general, repel or bring out the monster a bit in narcissist/sociopaths and such so they’re easier to identify. Imho, Unless a person has had a real bad encounter with dogs sometime in their life, there’s something wrong with people who are repulsed by a puppy. YMMV.

    • Men, forget dogs for attracting potential mates. Get a rabbit.

      My buddy in college basically pulled a different girl every day or two for years. They melt over bunnies for some reason.

      Dogs can work, but bunnies are simply magic.

      Ladies, it does not matter what pet you have, it is just an excuse for us to talk to you.

  17. Know thyself. Control only what you can control.

    I have the advantage of liking colonial & early constitutional history. After years of realizing that most of what we know from history & govt is wrong, I accept that most people are ignorant of reality. I have had time to acclimate to knowing that I am right on certain things that no one else knows or believes (due to the educational industrial complex)

    So I see COVID as just one more of those things. I won’t change opinions of COVID zealots and I don’t try to. I accept they are willfully ignorant. What I can be is a symbol to those who are feeling like Chris. Maybe he will see me maskless in the store and know he is not alone.

  18. To quote a line from a movie I can’t recall the name of, “It’s a shock getting old”. And for me indeed it is. Especially since for nearly all my adult life I was a fairly well buffed physical specimen, having spent the first 25 years of my working life in a construction trade, starting well before they were saturated with power tools. At this late date, my combined energy to oppose the madness is mostly limited to what I’m doing at this very moment.

    I applaud all of you not yet old, with an abundance of physical and mental energy still at your disposal. The moment is at hand. Use it! Use it now! It’s a gift you won’t get to keep. Just like life itself, it has an expiration date.

    • You’re right sir. I’m experiencing the exact same thing. The kids are grown and the dogs have died. After that I had a great hobby with several close friends to keep me occupied but the plandemic put a dent in that so the whole activity level, both physical and mental, has changed. Things are getting back to normal but the past year had me questioning, “The moment at hand.”

      • Discovering I had rheumatoid arthritis a couple of years ago put the brakes on me doing much of anything stressful on my hands, so I’m sort of at a loss how to occupy myself. Doing things with my hands was what I used to do most of the time I was awake. Never was especially social, especially in a crowd. That part of the plandemic didn’t bother me too much. What DID bother me was seeing most of the rest of the world voluntarily get on their knees, and then try to tell me I had to as well. As if they were any more my master than some “official” with a highly exaggerated opinion of themselves is.

  19. Speaking of reading, a short quote from Bertrand Russell is applicable.
    “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”
    If one is actually thinking, and so using their mind for something besides an ear spacer, one is going to have doubts. If you’re actually thinking you have at times proven YOURSELF wrong, and so doubt is a fundamental result of thought. If one merely hangs their life on dogma, no thought required. An easier and less painful path, but not one containing much in the way of a the search for truth that a thinking person is always pursuing, and never quite finding. Not finding because critical thought results in DOUBT.

  20. Great suggestions, Eric! Thank you. I am preparing for my weekly vigil into the land of the zombies. Your column and advice will help me to remain strong.

    I am also striving to reflect on the positives over the last year. There are many. Slowing down and removing some things that I didn’t really want to do but didn’t know how to let go of diplomatically ( 😛 ) has been a plus for my mental and physical well-being in many ways. Reflecting, researching, and reading have also helped.

    My daughter is in college this year. She was one of the 2020 hs grads that was ripped off by the thugs, however she has demonstrated a remarkable ability to make lemonade from these very sour lemons she has been handed. She has joined a sorority, has a job, is taking 17 credits per semester, and is a student athlete. Of course the diaper thing is always a factor, but she chose all in-person classes so she is not just forced into a lonely cubicle with a computer monitor. She has earned all A’s (except one class), and at midterm is again receiving all A’s. I am very encouraged by her achievements and desire to live life fully. Reading some of her college papers has also given me insight into her strong spirit.

    One other thing that I do daily is pray. I especially pray for God’s protection as I go out and about, and His provision for my family. I do not fear what will come to me, but there are definitely dark times where things around me look very bleak. After each successful outing, I reflect on God’s blessings and it helps.

  21. “it makes me not want to go anywhere or do anything anymore.”

    I reckon this is by design. They want those who see through the BS to just figure that the world is now a big open air insane asylum and so just stay home. I have been on the road vacationing for weeks and can assure you it’s largely illusory. There are plenty of people out here doing normal things and I suppose the TV news doesn’t want you to know/see that. So get out here! Plus it’s a lot easier, less consequential, and downright fun to disregard pandemic rules in stores that are not in your hometown. 🙂

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