What do you do if you have a common cold?

Have you tried lately to sneeze, cough or blow your nose in public? Probably not! To be honest, I have not changed my personal behaviour since March of this year. I do not wash my hands more than I used to, I certainly do not disinfect my hands or anything else and I only wear the hidious mask if it cannot be avoided (I still find it repulsive and refuse to accept it as the new normal).

What did we do when we had a common cold before March 2020? We did not hug people, we kept our distance to not infect others, stayed at home as much as possible. When we did sneeze, cough or blow your nose in public, the worst reaction was perhaps people looking either away or looking at you with slight disgust and bit of annoyance.

Today this has completely changed. A few weeks ago I went to our doctor with my son – nothing serious – and in the waiting room (with a lot of space) my son dared a small cough (it was more a harrumph to be honest) and two people looked at him with fear, got up and left. Now I really do have a slight cold with a bit of a runny nose, an occasional sneeze, and my voice is a bit raspy… nothing to write home for. I have no fever or any other unusual symptoms. And no, I am not going to run to the next COVID test station to find out that I have nothing but a common cold. Today when you are ill in any way, people look at you in fear, sometimes even with hate in their eyes and you are seen as a potential death threat.

I keep repeating myself when I say the economy will most likely recover in one way or the other but our society will not recover that easily. People are becoming more aggressive and the brainwashing propaganda through the media is working. I am so unbelievably tired of this omnipresent topic of COVID-19 that I want to scream – and yet I keep writing about it. But I simply refuse to keep my mouth shut and accept the way we are forced to live as the new normal. IT IS NOT NORMAL!

It is not normal that people run around with masks all day! It is not normal that neighbours denounce each other. It is not normal that children are not allowed to play together. It is not normal that you are not allowed to visit your relatives. It is not normal that the whole world is on its knees for a virus that even according to the WHO is not worse than an average influenza. It is not normal that the collateral damage is accepted without even as much as a mention.

I have written about it in another blog and it shocks me again and again that it is apparently not tragic that people take their lives out of desperation, that people do not dare to be treated for serious illnesses for fear of infection. It brings tears to my eyes that domestic violence continues to rise, to name just a few. What this is doing to our society is beyond words.

And yet I have hope! I hope because all else would be devastating and I try to keep as much control over my life and my sanity as humanly possible. My door is and will stay open to my friends, my relatives and everyone who is in need of company, a friend, kindness and a hug (but not as long as I have a cold)…

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