We Know How This Story Ends
One definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way multiple times and ending up with the wrong result each time.
This image based on a well-known pop culture painting popped up on my social media feed yesterday and I found it evocative, particularly in light of the oncoming Omicron variant surge.
I shared it to my Facebook page and a friend had his friends come up with a caption and this was the most powerful and brilliant one that he received:
Guy in suit, standing there in a hazy dream as the Ghost of Christmas Present takes him on his Dickensian journey. He stares at himself, crossing his arms and looking out the window. He is listening to the ghost, standing behind him off screen, as the ghost says, in an exasperated voice:
"This is the moment when you made the decision to end the life of your mother, who died gasping for breath like a fish out of water because there were no beds for her in the hospital. You were asymptomatic except for that little cough and stuffiness, which you insisted was nothing so you didn't bother to get tested before you went home for Christmas. The virus is a hoax anyway, right? Your Dad survived, barely. But Mom gasped and moaned and cried and struggled in a fevered nightmare of pain. Buy you were fighting for the freedom to eat out in a politically anti-science rant about hoax viruses and not living in fear. Playing that game was more important to you than your loved ones.”
“So how was your cheeseburger that night? Was it good? Did you get fries with that? Down a few Bud Lights with it and rant about owning the libs?”
“The crematoriums had a wait list so it took a while before you could get her ashes to take home to Dad, who is still struggling every day with long haul symptoms. But hey, who doesn't love a good cheeseburger? Am I right? It just doesn't taste the same if you eat it at home does it? Too bad you can't have your mom make you one of her awesome cheeseburgers. You'd probably kill for one of those right now. Well, time to go pack so you can go home and visit Dad this year. You didn't get kill him last year, but maybe this year you can put him out of his long haul misery. Keep refusing that vaccine and go out for another cheeseburger tonight. Roll the dice with his life. You have just enough time to get infected and shed the virus to dear old Dad this weekend. Hope the cheeseburger tastes just as good this year!"
Guy in suit: “Stop! I don't want to hear this.”
Ghost: "That has been a big part of the problem. It's time for the Ghost of Christmas Future now. If you didn't like this reality check, you are really going to hate the next one. Let's just say I wouldn't blow money on any lifetime memberships."
Guy in suit: "You are heartless and cruel to blame me for my mother's death. Why are you treating me this way?"
Ghost: "Because I have a million more just like you to visit. And almost none of you will change your ways. This is a vision of just one moment, the moment that you began to kill your mother. If I had time, I would show you all the lives you destroyed with your selfishness. There are so many...”
“But if your mother dying didn't make you change, I doubt you care about any of the others. Not even the little girl in 4C who was in the elevator coming home from a leukemia treatment when you coughed in the elevator. Of course you had no mask so you just let that virus fly. She is one of many in your path of destruction. If you don't change then this is a waste of my time. So are you going to change?"
Guy in suit, stands staring at himself for another moment: "Nope. Gonna buy some ivermectin and go pack for my trip home to Dad. Gonna grab a cheeseburger first though. Let's go Brandon!" *rips off suit and mask that Ghost had materialized on him and stalks away*"
Ghost: *tearfully* “He's all yours Ghost of Christmas Future. NEXT!"
America is taking an open book test. The teacher has given us the answer key to use, but a large part of the population refuses to open the book or use the answer key.
We can only hope that those of us who do well on this test won’t be affected by those who fail it.