One day dealing with the new reality

By Steve Halpern

Our lives have completely changed from just one month ago. Last month, we freely went out whenever we wanted, and went to wherever we could afford. Now, the authorities and medical experts are telling us to stay at home. In various places, they are actually talking about enforcing their stay-at-home guidelines. So, this is a blog about how I dealt with this new reality in one day.

I woke up and made breakfast of an omelet with onions, mushrooms, parsley, and mozzarella cheese. I had this with a bagel, two oranges, and coffee. Then, I read the newspaper and checked-out the internet.

In the past, I clearly didn’t like reading the newspaper. While there were interesting stories, the mainstream pro-capitalist media is almost always indifferent to the routine lives of working people all over the world.

Now, the news reporting appears to have deteriorated considerably. The banner headline in Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer is: The Coronavirus – From Bad to Worse. I find myself uninterested in most stories reporting on doom and gloom, without giving a rational perspective for dealing with this crisis.

Marc A. Thiessen

There was a column that made me laugh. This was by Marc A. Thiessen who was a speech writer for President George W. Bush, as well as an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. In previous columns Thiessen argued that it is no longer necessary to “Make America Great Again.” In Thiessen’s opinion, the President has already made America great, and now all we need to do is: “Keep America Great.” The Inquirer published a letter of mine critical of that perspective.

Then, Thiessen gave us more evidence of his stark raving lunacy. He not only argued that this is a “Chinese Virus,” but he wants the United States government demand that China pay for all the damage caused by this virus. That perspective, for me, makes as much sense as the idea that COVID-19 be renamed: The Disease of the Donald.

Well, in Thiessen’s column today, a bit of clarity has penetrated his mind that appears to be allergic to reason. According to Thiessen: “China supplies more than 90% of antibiotics used here.” Thiessen then quoted an expert on Chinese medical exports to this country:

“If China shut the door on exports of core components to make our medicines, within months our pharmacy shelves would become bare and our health care system would cease to function.”

After this brief moment of clarity, Thiessen returned to his usual nonsensical arguments. How do we deal with the U.S. dependence on China? For Thiessen, this in no way means working with China to organize an international response to the pandemic.

No, according to Thiessen, corporations need to invest in Nokia and Erickson because they are developing 5G internet service. So, Thiessen is no longer interested in Making America Great. Now, he feels our priority will be to make Finland and Sweden great because those counties are not China.

Thiessen does have one talent. His columns are so absurd they are actually funny.

The rest of my day

Since I retired about a year ago, Judi and I have been working out regularly a neighborhood recreation center. Well, those activities are over.

Initially I tried to jump rope to compensate for the time I used to work out. The problem was that I am a human being who is capable of making serious mistakes. I have a herniated disk in my lower back that is a job-related condition.

Jumping rope is probably the worst thing one can do with a herniated disk. After jumping rope, my body informed me that this was a serious mistake. Fortunately, I didn’t cause serious damage from jumping rope, and I feel fully recovered.

So, now I go for long walks with our dog Rosie twice a day. We live about five minutes from Fairmount Park and there are extensive trails that few people take advantage of.

After returning from a walk, I took a nap. Then, I made my banana bread. The bananas weren’t as ripe as I would have liked. However, there was another ingredient that isn’t mentioned in recipes. In order to cook meals, we need to have time. Now, I have the time to make my banana bread.

A springtime walk

After making my banana bread, I went for another walk with Rosie. Judi was busy doing work she has at home.

This time, I walked along the Wissahickon Creek. This was a spectacular springtime day, and I was stunned by the natural beauty of the park. My photos don’t do justice to that natural beauty.

Many people had the same idea and there were a lot of people on the trail. I attempted to keep my distance and took several photos included in this blog.

At one point, a young woman noticed that the word Cuba is prominently displayed on my hat. I spoke with her for about two or three minutes, while she walked with her friend. She walked slowly backward, while I walked slowly forward, keeping about ten feet between us. Last month, perhaps we might have had a longer discussion, and I might have shown her my Cuba photos.

My time in Cuba last year.

That encounter caused me to think about the two weeks I spent in Cuba in the months of April and May last year. I purchased my Cuba hat in the picturesque town of Trinidad. Someone said that, had I bargained for that hat, I might have paid a lower price. Today, that argument is less than insignificant. 

While I was in Cuba, I was treated by a medical doctor because of blisters on my feet. I spoke to that doctor about the fact that the Cuban infant mortality rate is lower than it is in the United States. He informed me that the reason for this has to do with the fact that women and children get routine medical checkups that diagnose any potential problems.

On May 1 of last year, I viewed about one-million Cubans enthusiastically celebrating their government in Havana. Why is there so much enthusiastic support for the Cuban government?

From my observations, the Cuban government has been obsessed with making sure that every Cuban has their basic needs provided for. Because of that consciousness, every Cuban knows how to read. That reality has been the basis for the Cuban health care system that has three times more doctors per capita than this country.

When I returned to the United States, I learned that Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia would be closed down. This meant that about 2,500 health care workers would be laid off. In all, according to information I’ve seen, about 400,000 hospital beds have been eliminated in this country since 1980. During those same years, Cuban doctors, nurses, and technicians have gone all over the world to treat some of the least affluent patients.

Today, many people are demanding that the shuttered Hahnemann Hospital be reopened to deal with the overflow of COVID-19 patients.

Returning home

Normally, we rarely ever get food delivered. For me, it isn’t a bother to drive five minutes to pick up food when we call ahead. However, dealing with the new reality, we ordered pizza to be delivered. We are also planning to get our groceries delivered, and our neighbors are doing the same.

This morning I read conflicting articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer. One article reported that the Italian government would be issuing fines of over $5,000 for walking outside. Then, I read two other articles recommending that people take walks in the park in Philadelphia. I guess part of our new reality is to read conflicting stories.

Clearly, I’m wishing the best for everyone in the coming year. One of my most sincere hopes is that the international working class will organize ourselves to force governments to provide for the basic needs of everyone. This will be a determined struggle, since people who have power are primarily motivated to gouge out profits. However, if we dare to struggle, we certainly can dare to win.