It’s the home stretch for the Holiday Season, Xmas Eve for those who celebrate it. Stateside, maybe if you were good, you get to open one present tonight. Christmas morning is the big day, at least as a kid, it couldn’t come fast enough. The Germans, do the whole shebang Xmas Eve. Either way, every year is precious time, though 2020 for the world seems like that classic Xmas ballad, “All I want for Xmas is my two front teeth.”
There might be a bit of symbolism in 2020 the sad old tree, sitting unadorned, and solo by an oldtown gate. No lights, no hot cocoa, or gluhwein, or kids playing, or friends catching up in the wonderfully, cozy European Xmas Markets. It’s alive though, some years you thrive, others just survive.
This has been the darkest year for the planet collectively since WW2. The pandemic shows despite the astonishing technology advances since 1920, we are still quite susceptible to Mother Nature’s whims. It’s hard to grasp that through Blue tooth headsets, on an iPad, on a plane at 30k feet… (OK riding a Peloton bike), or whatever it is healthy people do under lockdown.
All things being equal, while we followed the guidelines, COVID-19 became real for me when a dear friend from New York and his family got it. They ended up fine, but that’s when it hit home. In addition, some of the ugly divisiveness and riots back home this year, must have been impacted by the frustrations of lockdown, and IMHO the echo chambers created by overreliance on social media. Frankly, FWIW this is higher on my radar than COVID.
This was an apt demonstration of the fragility of the American republic, despite unmatched massive economic and military resources. At some level if we lose the ability to agree to disagree peacefully, I’m not sure there is a pending vaccine coming for that.
One of the philosophies in The Eagle Feather originates from Americans who volunteer to be in harm’s way for freedom. It’s the philosophy of “Good.” It’s quite simple actually, which is quite different from easy. No matter what comes, you just say “Good” then adapt, improvise, and overcome. So simple, yet so immensely powerful. 2020 tested this to the max.
Despite all of the rough events, and suffering in 2020, it also seems we’ve witnessed unsung acts of courage, selflessness, and humanity. After 9/11, as a New Yorker you wanted to buy every fireman in sight a beer. This is how we should feel about the healthcare workers, and the folks who bravely stock the food shelves, so a pandemic doesn’t turn into one of those trendy dystopian shows.
While the focus here, is primarily books and writing. If we can keep our discipline, there seems to be imminent light at the end of the tunnel vaccine wise. Put another way, no one wants to be the last COVID case, at this point if possible. In addition, we’ve glimpsed what humanity is capable of, when we roll our sleeves up, and work together to beat a common enemy. COVID certainly is that, it should be a significant force for unity across the globe. Unfortunately, geopolitics isn’t a Disney movie.
A few decent reads (besides The Eagle Feather…naturally) if you find lockdown dragging these winter months;
A Gentleman in Moscow- Amor Towles. - This is a human survival story in its own right, amidst a multi decade long, chilling lockdown.
We Few-Nick Brokhausen.- The best SOG memoir I’ve read. I’m deeply grateful our nation can find such people, and I see a kindred spirit in him. (This is a bit disturbing because, despite having my profound respect, the author, or anyone who did what he did for a living back then, is clearly crazier than a dog in a hubcap factory.)
Finally, I’m very close to finishing the rough draft of the sequel to The Eagle Feather, and hope someone will want to read that too, as lockdown ends, and we all go roaring into 2021.
Be safe, Everyone.