Day 135 - Lodge Lake
Four and a half months into this and the days are slipping away into months. None of us thought this would take so long. I’m constantly depressed over our self-inflicted failure to respond to this pandemic, particularly when so many other countries have shown the way and we have ignored what’s right in front of us. Here’s an example: the other day a friend of mine was walking along a trail and came across another hiker not wearing a mask. “No COVID here!” the unmasked hiker blithely announced. My friend is way too polite but his response should have been “Yup, I can’t see any neither. Must be safe!”
I have doubts whether our particular form of democracy can survive the world of social media-induced polarization, a black and white one (actually, red and blue) where we are increasingly forced to choose a side and subscribe to all of its beliefs, no crossover allowed. Where “we” are right and “they” are all wrong. Where “we” have to save “them” from themselves becuase they are too stupid.
And I am particularly depressed because I look at our bumbling failure to respond to this pandemic and ask myself this question: “If, as a nation, we can’t get our act together to deal with the virus, how can we possibly hope to address climate change?”
We haven’t given up hope but we have placed it up on a shelf in a dark room and instead are focusing on what we can have some control over: enjoying our work, enjoying our family and friends, and enjoying nature. Today we drove up to Snoqualmie and hiked around the back of the ski area to a delightful lake.
