I will not be Afraid

When I was a young boy, I was extremely shy. I was timid in many situations. I stuck close to my family and minded my own business. Today, my life is a lot different from that level of shyness I clenched to as a child. . Now, I am not timid in hardly any situations. There are a few reasons why, the biggest one is - I learned I could care less of what others think of me. I have no fear of hardship and being broken in life, you see I have already been broken while having many hardships. 

Being afraid is something my mother said to never let others know. She loved the phrase, “Never let them see you sweat.” My mother also taught me, when I first learned to ride a motorcycle at a young age, to get my ass up and get back on it after I went into a barbed wire fence. I was afraid to get back on that motorcycle, but she knew I had to get back on that motorcycle or I never would ride again. 

As we get older we become less afraid of many things, spiders all the way to death. I have always found it fascinating when I see young people that are fearless! Especially the little ones, they go and say what they want and have no problem or fears of retribution. 

Now that I am older, there are a few things I won’t be afraid of as an adult. I will not be afraid of fear mongering from the government. I will not be afraid of news people spouting news telling me what I should and should not feel. I will not be afraid of people who have no idea what they are talking about. 

Recently we have witnessed huge livestock shows and rodeos close because of fear and being afraid of large gatherings. We are being forced to not assemble publicly. We are blindly going along with anything the government says and not questioning the decisions made by those in power. We are being restricted in our travels, where we can go in our communities, and how many people are allowed to gather. People are acting in ways that have no rationale. 

As we are told to do some basic hygienic practices, we are also being told this is a pandemic. What is happening though is that unless you are in a high-risk group, you are being told to leave the hospitals and don’t leave your house for 2 weeks. We are also being told that if we don't slow the curve we will cause a burden on our healthcare system. The news and leaders are saying there are not enough ICU beds to cover the potential critical patients. The math though doesn't add up though because we would have to have over 70,000 critical patients to get to that point. That would also mean the spread of the virus would be worse in one of the most civilized countries in the world. You are being told to use social distancing. There is no shaking hands or hugging or close private conversations. 

Fear is also being shown in schools, which are being closed and students are having to resort to homeschooling in some fashion. As this might open the eyes of parents, it will also shine a light on some of the true problems in our education system, with one (and probably the most important) being standardized testing. But, this is another topic for another time.

 Local governments are taking control of firearms and many other aspects of our lives.  Large cities are forcing businesses to close. As the federal government promises loans to cover your expenses while closed, they are also promising to cover the leave pay for your employees. While I have the hope that this will be true and the thousands of small businesses will survive this mandatory shut down, I don’t have faith in our government. There have been too many times that the government spends the money they allotted for their own good, not that of the people. 

The problem is the money is ours, it’s the American people’s money. It’s the livelihood of families who started with a dream and built something special. It’s your favorite hole in the wall restaurant that has the best pies. It’s your local gym run by one person and not a chain. It’s your farmers markets, flea markets, and trades days. 

You see, as you take your quarantine pill and do as you’re told, there will be billions of dollars in revenue lost, people who will not get what they need for necessities, and more importantly a government that has more control and power than they deserve will not reach everyone that needs assistance. The government and the world now know how we react in a time of crisis. They know what we will do when given a certain scenario of life. They know who will be the ones that will follow along and say nothing and who will buck the system and question everything. 

The government and big brother are hoping that you stay afraid. They are hoping that you listen to all the misinformation and crossed messages. These large groups of powerful people in certain regions of the globe are hoping that having enough fear means that you never get back on that motorcycle and continue on your own path. When this crisis is over, every American should go back and force their government officials to repeal every law they enacted during this ‘state of emergency’.They need to remember that the power is not with them, it is with the people. Never be afraid to get back on and continue your path in life. You, and your brain, are what the government needs to always be afraid of, because you thinking for yourself means they will have one less puppet in their government controlled world.

“When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.” ― Euripides, Orestes