My doctor is very clear, if I get CVD-19, it will not go well for me. My stupid lung-sucking disease puts me in the small minority of the population for whom the rest of you are being quarantined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you\u2019re experiencing some of the same vacillating opinions as me where one day (maybe even one moment) you\u2019d like to poke the eyeballs of someone who says, \u201cWell, you know this isn\u2019t even as bad as the flu\u201d and then, on another day, you flip viewpoints when you hear of the woman down the street who, due to quarantining with her abusive boyfriend, landed in the shelter for battered women –  at which point you scream into the abyss: \u201cThis BS has to end, God! LET MY PEOPLE GO!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re not only confused from the polarity of the narratives we\u2019re given, but also because our favorite people sometimes view the exact same reality completely opposite than us. Because this pandemic has been usurped and exploited by the political extremes it is fracturing our country into two camps at a dizzying pace. Some are desperately trying to minimize this crisis so their man looks good and responsible hoping he can restore the economy in time for the next election. On the far opposite side are those who are actually wishing for a significant death toll and accompanying pandemonium to portray Trump as an incompetent madman. Either way  (and every way in between) \u2013 we must never forget that this whole mess is NOT about politics, IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are people made in God\u2019s image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And people matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, when this thing first reared its ugly head and many people said (and continue to say), \u201cThis isn\u2019t so serious. It\u2019s only the elderly and those with underlying conditions who are at high risk,\u201d I truly felt as if my life did NOT matter. Those comments have repeatedly made me feel dismissed, disregarded, unimportant and not worth inconveniencing the rest of the people that DO matter in America \u2013 the HEALTHY ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, don\u2019t mind me. Just little \u2018ole me with an underlying condition over here\u2026  I get it that you think I\u2019m already half dead and therefore not worth your suffering. So you just go right ahead and get your haircut, purchase that lawn fertilizer and run to Costco without a mask. I see how you value things in life. The sick and the elderly apparently rank fairly low. But you know – we\u2019re not all that different, you and me. I, too, strongly believe in fighting for the unborn, our religious liberties, and our American freedoms; but it grieves me that now that I need someone to fight for me (and by fight, I mean “stay home”), you won\u2019t.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIDES DO TURN<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have three California kids and Paul and I have sat and watched the Pacific ocean for countless hours \u2013 mesmerized by God in creation. Anyone who has seen the ocean knows the tide comes in, and then goes out. Surfers, boogie boarders and swimmers all know the tide sometimes pulls you north, and some days it pulls you south. One thing that will always be certain in this life: the tides are always turning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I\u2019m wondering if the tide has turned for me. I don\u2019t know if the guilt of watching an entire nation on lockdown on behalf of people like me has just become too much or if I\u2019m just sick and tired of the fighting. It just feels like my mindset is shifting and the winds of change are blowing\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

• Is it time for us to say we did the best we could and gave social distancing a good run, but now it\u2019s just too much and it\u2019s time to move on regardless of the consequences?<\/li>
• Is it time for those with underlying diseases and the elderly to acquiesce and say \u201cI give\u201d \u2013 concluding the devastation resulting from this quarantine is worse than us losing our lives?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

  Which all begs the question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  WHAT IS MY LIFE WORTH?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  I don\u2019t doubt my life is worth more than your hair, your lawns, or your beers. Most of us (Christians, anyway) would, at the very least, SAY that people are more important than money or things. So when I hear everyone talking about the failing economy as the primary reason to open things up, I feel as expendable as a Jew in Auschwitz (who were, btw, blamed for any economic woes in Germany).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  HOWEVER\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Because of all the cultural pressure, the noise and opinions coming from the far right, and the collective anger mounting in our country as a result of the quarantine, I\u2019m beginning to feel my life really isn\u2019t worth all this suffering. I\u2019m wondering where we draw the line at what my life (and those in similar situations) is worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • I\u2019m wondering if my life really isn\u2019t worth the collective livelihoods of thousands, maybe even millions, who are now unable to maintain food, shelter and clothing for themselves or their families. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    • I\u2019m now wondering if my life really isn\u2019t worth someone losing their family business they poured their entire life into for the past 32 years only to head into retirement penniless and too old for a plan B.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      • I really don\u2019t believe my life is worth children going to bed hungry tonight.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        • I don\u2019t believe my life is worth soaring suicide rates or increases in domestic abuse. This makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          • I\u2019m wondering if my life isn\u2019t worth the broken relationships, the constant fighting, or an insurmountable division in our nation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            • I\u2019m wondering if my life isn\u2019t worth the words \u201ccivil war,\u201d \u201cholocaust,\u201d or \u201ctyranny,\u201d entering our daily vernacular (which, if you haven\u2019t noticed, they have).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              I have not seen actual numbers or even predictions of how many people would actually LOSE their lives should the quarantine linger on vs. how many of us will LOSE our lives if the corona boogey man be set loose to come and get us. These numbers are probably impossible to know definitively and impossible to compare. I mean, is it even possible to measure pain and suffering? And then, at what point does intensive and widespread pain and suffering equal the cost of a life? This is my conundrum. Is it unfair of me to suggest my right to a life safe from a deadly virus and with a healthcare system able to accomodate me is worth MORE than the price you are all paying to achieve it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              I have seen some terrible things in this life and I truly believe there are things of this earth worse than death. I\u2019m concerned that as a result of this national shutdown and rapidly declining economy, many people are being forced to face some of those things. Dying while still living is worse than death. That’s been my experience, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              I am 53 years old and maybe that\u2019s why I even dare contemplate if my life has less value than others. Our kids have grown \u2013 two are happily married and the other two are soaring. So, even if I were to be robbed of 30 years, I\u2019ve still lived fairly long and I\u2019ve lived well. I certainly can\u2019t speak for anyone younger than me. No one should die with children still at home. The truth is, I don\u2019t want anyone to die. I don\u2019t believe in euthanasia, abortion, genocide, or capital punishment and I didn\u2019t think my abhorrence for gun violence could get any worse until I heard how Ahmoud Arbury was shot in cold blood this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              I truly do believe Every. Life. Matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              But\u2026. What if \u2026. What if we are FORCED into a corner and were FORCED to decide whose life matters MOST? Are we there and is it time to have this conversation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              IF SO, WHAT\u2019S NEXT?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              If this is a war of sorts, then there WILL be casualties. People will die either as a result of the battle with coronavirus or people will die (or, more likely, their dreams, ambitions, and futures will die) as a result of a too-long quarantine. Either way, both are casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              I realize simply opening up America is not an automatic death sentence for me. I realize I can CHOOSE to stay quarantined (and I will) and I can CHOOSE to stay away from people who might be potential spreaders (which is everyone, but still I\u2019ll do it) and I can CHOOSE to live isolated like this for a year or two if necessary. I\u2019m not opposed to quarantining the sick and elderly instead of the healthy. But do not tell me this is like \u201cleprosy\u201d or \u201cTB\u201d \u2013 because I do NOT actually HAVE the coronavirus and I basically live as a healthy person, yet I\u2019ll still have to quarantine indefinitely so YOU can get your life back and I can hopefully save mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              I\u2019m just truly wondering if the time has come for me to \u201chead to the front lines\u201d in this battle against coronavirus in the sense that if America opens back up, my vulnerability and risk of infection and death suddenly skyrockets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              I\u2019m seriously just wondering, is it time to let me die?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              My doctor is very clear, if I get CVD-19, it will not go well for me. My stupid lung-sucking disease puts me in the small minority of the population for whom the rest of you are being quarantined. Perhaps you\u2019re experiencing some of the same vacillating opinions as me where one day (maybe even one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,23,33,34,36],"tags":[56,58,86,101],"yoast_head":"\n