America & the Common Cold

Waking up sick is much like waking up in a dictator state; helpless and no power over the force that is controlling you. Deep down inside you know there is nothing you can do, but on the outside there is this glimmering coat of blind optimism that the illness will pass over like a hurricane that guaranteed total destruction in its wake, but veered off course in what seemed like God showing mercy. Well the signs of that storm came Friday when I woke up with a cough and a throat that struggled to pass air in and out through the layers of mucus that had formed over night. I should have seen it coming as I often sleep with the window open, even in frigid conditions, and that my company for Thursday night was someone struggling with a cold themselves.

I took all the proper steps to try and ward off the evil demon: took shots of blue cough medicine, chicken soup from a Chinese restaurant, and plenty of fluids. Nevertheless, it was no use as I woke up this morning at 5 A.M struggling to prevent my chest from exploding as I coughed harshly doing my best to breathe. And like a country ran by a tyrant it would only get worse before it got better. This was a sad and unfortunate fact of life, and there is no changing that. But I knew what I was getting into when I decided to help my friend with his homework in exchange for a smoke on some watermelon dro. Yet I dismissed the notion as I was stricken with a large amount of hubris.

There was a vast period of time when I enjoyed a great deal of health and prosperity, but I was blinded by the strength of my immune system; thinking that no common cold could infiltrate it as it has proven itself over the past year and a half free of all sickness. Truth be told, I was wrong on a very massive scale. The only thing I can do now is take as many pills, syrups and sprays hoping to suppress the suffering. In a way this cold is an analogy for the current state of the American condition.

That's right, America is sick and like myself, it didn't see it coming-well at least consciously. To say we didn't see the pieces coming together would be dishonest, and if you have to lie to yourself then something is seriously wrong. Nonetheless, that is exactly what we continue to do because admitting that things are not all right is something no one wants to do. It is better to lull ourselves into a false sense of everything is okay and there is nothing to worry about.

One quote comes to mind when I think about the current standing of America, the world and all the people taking up square feet. That quote being, "If we do not learn from history we are bound to repeat it." But we haven't learned fellow humans and the cycle has already begun to turn. The beginning of the 21^st century is comparable to the early to mid 70's, and if anyone remembers what came after that dismal period in America then they will understand the long, crater-ridden road that is just around the bend. In terms of societies the phrase just around the bend is equilvalent to about ten years, but many of those born in the late 80's will be left to fend for themselves at the time the ten year mark hits.

Only God knows what will be at our door when that time comes, but one thing is for sure and that is the matter of dealing with the present. We live in a time where technology is making our lives easier on such a level where it is more detrimental than beneficial. We are so dependant on machines that it is easy to see why we are looked at poorly in the eyes of prior generations. They had it much harder than us or did they? That same technology makes it easier to become a possession of the government as there are more laws to break and much more efficient ways to ensure your capture and conviction. The prototype to our present state-the time around 1970-was merely a test, and it appears the kinks have been worked out.

You can no longer give false names to the police in order to beat a public urination ticket. Drugs without a prescription can land you a prison term that is equal to or more than that of a rapist, pederast or murderer. We the people have relatively no say in our countries policies whether they are foreign or of our own turf. Hot button issues in this country are nonsense like abortion and gay marriage; two topics that are irrelevant to the grand scheme of things. Abortion should be a choice with restrictions on when it can occur and gay marriage should be allowed as it doesn't affect anyone but that of the homosexual persuasion. Those are a few issues among many others.

War coverage is brief and almost non-existent when compared to the 24 hour firefighting and carpet bombing that was aired during Vietnam. The question of why we are in war still is without a legitimate answer. And maybe that is why there is such a docile attitude towards our current state of affairs. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we are living sheltered lives. We are at such a distance from our government and politics that it doesn't seem real anymore. There have been numerous times when I have been watching or reading the news when I thought, "This is the work of Hollywood, this can't be real."

But there is one thing that rings true and that is the fact that fiction can easily become truth, and that happens when we begin to believe what we are witnessing. I, like many, am still in a state of disbelief, which scares me because subconsciously I know it is very real. When will America wake up and stop lying to itself? We are sick, ill and no amount of pills, syrups and sprays can provide anything other than temporary relief. This is something that our immune systems must learn to fight on its own because if we cannot prevent the common cold then we are bound to fall to pieces when the flu hits.