Unity

Since the covid-19 outbreak, I've wanted to focus on positive thoughts. I've been mostly positive and calm, while not being in denial of any of the negative facts. But god damn, is there some negativity I need to express.

There's a theme that pops up occasionally in science fiction where a global threat unites humanity and forces everyone to cast aside their insignificant rivalries in order to work together to defeat it. I love the idea of that, and it's an uplifting and reassuring idea, but I've seen a disconcerting amount of the opposite in the United States since this pandemic started. I don't know if it's because Donald Trump has so effectively stirred up a renewed feeling of victimized tribalism in our culture, or if it's because this specific situation engenders a feeling of helplessness, but people seem to care far more about themselves and far less about each other in this moment. At least the people that I see, am disappointed by, and fixate on, because I worry that they're the default setting of our species, rather than the outliers.