The times of being equal

As I suddenly, no, not suddenly, as I finally decided to get back here again, I was well aware that we have some catching up to do.
- Well, she has some catching up to do! you will probably say.
That's true. And I'm really no good at reading anymore. My eyes drop instantly, I'm a very tired person these days.
Time has been ....rough for our family.  Times have been quite good as well actually. I shouldn't just whine , should I?

These days my friends , have us all thinking. Pondering.  All kinds of emotions runs through our surprised heads and hearts.
Just as we thought we were facing a major climate crisis, we were hit from another direction entirely, like the Raptors in Jurassic Park.

It took some time for us to comprehend. Something was obviously happening in China. 

China. Very large. Very foreign. Obeying people. Hardworking. Shockingly forward on AI technology following the  5G upgrade.
But something happened.
In China.
Far off.
But we travel, don't we? 

Like the people of Israel through the decades, like the nomads from pasture to pasture, like the birds in wintertime. We travel because we are curious. And we travel because we want to learn and earn. They say that travelling, meeting real people , learning about others culture, will help us keep the peace and respect.


I'm not sure that's always true. But anyway, it's what multiplied this situation

. So we need to cope. Bit by bit its dawning upon us: we are equals!
Bit by bit we discover that it isn't far away in the distant China, its everywhere.

We watched the terrifying scenes from Wuhan.  That couldn't happend here, right?
But it did.

And there are no loopholes. No VIP.  

This is a crisis we all face, king or peasant. Billionaire or homeless. Ofcourse the homeless can't be quarantined,  where should they go? The beggars, where?
Charity started, churches offering a place to stay for many. Not enough but still.

People offering to bring supplies to those confined to their houses. Neighbours singing and playing from their balconies- not defeated by the virus, not yet
.
We are all equals. We always were of course , but now we see it. And we haven't learned from the last time, we always say we will but we never do.
The first smell of panic spreads like a fire, shops are emptied in no time, medical supplies are suddenly scarce, suppliers close the doors?

And politicians take serious and harsh decisions, experts are seen on the screen, time after time. Updates. New editions. Disclaimers.
Politicians step forward as strong and competent.
As we are moved closer to the frontiers we feel different. As we are approaching something we can't shrug off, we need to find a shelter for the actual fear.

Yesterday we feared a new tropical era were tsunamis would drench us if not the high water levels would. In a not so distant but still not current time. 
But that was yesterday.

Climate was debated on and off, Al Gore was old news, Greta Thunberg challenged with the voices of the young: How dare you?
We prepared to make efforts to turn it right again.
But now ? We didn't expect this. We took it lightly, some still do. Not being bullied by authorities,  they always exaggerate anyway!

We are all equals. In Sweden, we took it lightly.  Until a month ago it was almost normal.

Restaurants had guests, shopping was on. Schools open. In Sweden we listen to experts. And we are a democratic country. We are responsible. We can't be ordered around, we are not used to obey . All we got was recommendations.
Don't do this, you shouldn't do that, it's on your own responsibility.

We still travelled, I mean , the trip was booked and payed for. Those that left long ago are now stuck and afraid. Swedish people are waking up now.


Today we follow the reports. 

We sit motionless and breathless seeing the Spanish hospitals fight an uneven fight. We see the empty streets in Barcelona, Berlin,  Rome.
It's not China. Or South Korea. Its here. In Sweden we just heard of the first doctors being taken in for intensive care. Denmark closed their borders.
We are all equals .

So we need to help out. We are all afraid. All confused. In my village and my friends in India, HongKong, Philippines....

What makes me sad is the tendency to point out the ones to blame

. The careless, the ones with a cough. The elderly that dare walk the streets. The ones that go to work with running noses. And above all: the Chinese!!
Yes, its foolish but we are all fools! We follow recommendations but where do they lead us? We try to be wise and do the right things and scold the ones that don't.  We can't afford that. We need to join forces.

We need to be grateful for every gesture of love. For every new day . For the heroic brothers and sisters in the emergency wards. 

We are equals because we can all be hit.
People cope with this very differently. But everybody has to cope. Every body .
When this is all over , I wonder what we have learnt. To still our step?  To enjoy every new day and every meeting? To  cherish things that aren't connected to progress and technical solutions? To be content with less? To help without gaining?

I hope so. I also hope that the values we discover or rediscover will guide us forward.

I'm scared. I realize how little I know. I realize how much I value that people are safe.  That my needs are as important as yours. My pain equals another's.
It's a time for praying and maybe discover a new urge to go to church now that you  can't.  We still can. Others can't.

People die. Yes, everyday and everywhere, but never ever must we let them be just
numbers in a diagram. Not the refugees outside of Syriah, not those suffering from famine, not those being overpowered by covid 19. Or anyone.

These are times for praying.  

Warlords sets sease fires, we are equal,  they die too. Is that a lesson? I hope so. I hope for peace when life is important.

 We are facing a common enemy. 
God isn't hiding in the darkness, far from the pits of despair. Not any of them.
He's with every scared and suffering child, adult.
He once made himself an equal. He hasn't forgotten. He knows the names  behind the numbers.

We are all equals. When we are through this, I hope I've learned what's needed to live on without forgetting the values I found.

Stay safe dear people, keep blogging and encouraging each other, keep helping and hoping . Keep faith.

I hope you can hear the early birds outside our house in the morning!