THIS TOO SHALL PASS

   In these trying times when fear, greed, and hypocrisy reign over the land; and every petty despot in local office is grabbing as much power as they dare---and they dare more and more because they're meeting so little resistance---it's easy to become discouraged. People cannot---or will not---see that what's going on here is another attempted coup d'etat; the most desperate roll of the dice thrown by the Deep State 'Elites' yet. Bear in mind that these scumbags on the Left have been calling for Trump's overthrow and martial law since 2016. They've found a pretext to invoke Emergency Powers; and are planning to extend the 'crisis' until September or so, whether COVID-19 is around or not. 

   So, I came across a good article at the blog The Vigilant Citizen. Now, full disclosure here: I'm not a regular reader of VC's. Most of his material is a bit too conspiratorial for my tastes. But he's a well-intentioned sort; and his recent post on the COVID-19 hysteria is spot on. He lists "three things to remember," and it's excellent advice.

  "If COVID-19 is causing in you feelings of fear, panic, and anxiety, please repeat to yourself this timeless saying: 'This too shall pass'. Because it will...Often found in wisdom literature of the ancient Near East, the adage 'this too shall pass' aptly sums up the unconditionally temporary nature of human condition. It is a reminder that every single event in human history, whether it is a negative or a positive one, inevitably becomes a thing of the past. And, although there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel right now, this virus will also inevitably become a thing of the past. The only question is 'when?'. Not unlike all other living things in the world, epidemics rise, peak and decline. Sooner or later, this thing will peak and it will decline. In the past decades, SARS and H1N1 caused a great deal of panic. However, the only thing they are infecting now is history books."

   How true that statement is. Western Civilization has been attacked before---both from within and without---but has defeated all attempts to overthrow it. When we look back at the threats our forefathers faced, what was a crisis to them looks like a forest-fire on the panorama of Eternity and within the scope of God's Providence. 

   VC's second point is really a good one:  "2- You Don’t Need Up-to-the-Minute News Updates. If you can take away one thing from this site is that critical thinking is required when dealing with mass media. Sometimes, it doesn’t have our best interest at heart and, sometimes, it is even outright toxic. As people are confined to their homes with little to do, the urge to keep up with the news is constant. However, not all news is good to consume. Some of it actually is vile, toxic crap."

   Actually, most of it is. But to continue: "Now, more than ever, we need to remain calm, rational and level-headed. And limiting our daily intake of “panic news” is a great start. Trust me, I know that it is difficult to resist the urge to grab one’s phone and look-up news articles about the virus. I sometimes find myself doing it without even realizing it. But it is simply not healthy or even necessary to do so." 

  VC is right: there really isn't any good purpose in listening to these media ratings-drives. Most of it are lies anyway. I have to confess that one of the worst things about this whole fiasco has been watching people who just a month ago sneered at the MSM suddenly shift into lockstep whenever these dirtbags snap their fingers. 

  His last advice is very sound: "If you look outside, the sun is still rising and birds are still chirping. You are still on this Earth and you still have one life to live. Even if you are in lockdown, quarantine or whatever else, you are still in control of yourself and your surroundings. You still need to sleep well, eat healthily and exercise regularly. If you’re stuck at home, put down your phone for a while and use this time to take care of your people, read a good book, work on creative projects and, if possible, go outside and seek the healing presence of nature." 

  The reason that this is sound advice is simply because---in this miasma of fake news and irrationality---it's good to stop and then face the situation with a fresh eye. Good books and good movies have an especially salutary effect. 

  "While this advice might sound extremely boring and generic, this is what needs to be done right now in order to remain vigilant citizens. We need to remain sharp and focused, not weak and fearful. Because, at this point, it doesn’t matter where this virus comes from, what (or who) is behind it and how dangerous it really is. It already managed to shut down the entire world."

   I'd encourage everyone to follow the link and check out the whole article. There are so few voices of reason out there now, we must listen while we can.